i  i  i 


TO  WHITE  HOUSE'7  SERIES 

B99E^BHni  Sn^^du 


rVv~ 


"LOG  CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE"  SERIES. 

PINK  TO 

POTOMAC 


LIFE    OF 

JAMES  G.  ELAINE 

ffIS  BOYHOOD,    YOUTH,   MANHOOD,  AND 
PUBLIC   SERVICES. 


WITH  A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OP 


GEN.   JOHN    A.    LOGAN 


BY    EX    K.    CRKSSE>Y 


BOSTON: 
JAMES    H.    EARLE,    PUBLISHER, 

178  WASHINGTON  STRBBT. 
1884. 


Copyright,  1884. 
BY  JAMES  II.  EAKLE. 


ec 

C7 


STo 

Young  and  Did, 
WHOLE    WORLD   OVER, 

WHO    LOVB  THE  NAME 


IS   THIS   LIFE   OP 

JAMES    G. 

The  Typical  American, 

DEDICATED, 
BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


INTRODUCTION. 


MOUNTAINS  are  the  homes  of  giants,  —  giants  in 
brawn  and  giants  in  brain.  The  giants  of  brawn  may 
be  the  more  numerous,  and  in  the  sense  of  muscle 
and  fisticuffs,  more  powerful ;  but  not  in  the  sense 
of  manhood  and  power  that  achieves  results  that  are 
far-reaching  and  that  endure,  —  results  that  thrill  a 
nation's  heart  and  command  the  admiration  of  the 
world. 

Whoever  makes  you  proud  that  you  are  a  man, 
—  that  you  are  an  American  citizen,  —  makes  you 
feel  that  life  is  not  only  worth  living,  but  that  to 
live  is  joy  and  glory,  —  such  an  one  lifts  you  up 
toward  those  higher  regions  from  which  man  has 
evidently  fallen,  and  gives  some  glimmer  and  hint 
of  the  old  image  and  likeness  in  which  we  were 
created.  That  man  who  comes  from  nearest  to  the 
nation's  heart  and  gets  nearest  to  the  world's  heart, 
brings  with  him  lessons  of  wisdom,  goodness,  and  love 
which  shall  work  like  leaven  with  transforming  power. 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


Great  not  only  in  brains,  but  great  in  heart,  also, 
are  the  giant  men  of  true  greatness,  who  come  down 
from  the  mountains  into  the  arena  of  the  world's 
activities.  They  need  no  introduction.  The  world 
awaits  them,  recognizes,  and  hails  them.  They  know 
and  are  known;  they  love  and  are  beloved.  Place 
awaits  them,  and  they  enter;  fitness  fits;  life  is  a 
triumph,  and  they  are  happy.  Such  men,  fresh  from 
nature's  mint,  bring  consciences  with  them,  —  con- 
sciences unseared,  into  the  battle  of  life. 

These  are  not  only  the  germ  of  character  and  the 
source  of  joy,  but  chief  among  the  elements  of  that 
stupendous  strength  which  makes  victory  their  birth- 
right, and  victory  is  the  birthright  of  every  good, 
true  soul  that  will  work  to  win.  Only  the  false  and 
the  indolent  are  sure  to  fail;  the  true  and  industri- 
ous are  ever  succeeding. 

Especially  great  in  powers  of  will  are  the  men  who 
come  forth  from  the  nation's  strength  and  give  them- 
selves back  in  exalted  service  to  a  nation's  life.  The 
great  streams  that  flow  into  the  ocean,  went  forth 
of  the  ocean  in  mists  and  clouds  of  rain.  The 
great  men  of  Rome  were  the  products  of  Rome.  The 
great  men  of  Germany  and  France  are  the  products 
of  those  respective  countries.  And  so  the  great  men  of 
America  are  the  products  of  America.  It  took  gen- 
erations to  produce  the  heroes  of  the  Revolution, 
but  when  the  hour  struck,  they  came  forth,  full  armed 


INTROD  UCTION. 


with  a  purpose  that  blood  could  not  weaken,  clad  in 
a  panoply  that  no  host  could  destroy.  Washington 
blazed  forth  as  an  orb  of  greater  magnitude  in  the 
chair  of  state,  in  time  of  peace,  than  in  the  saddle 
in  time  of  war.  As  a  warrior  he  cut  out  the  work, 
as  statesman  he  made  it.  Statesmanship  is  more  the 
work  of  the  whole  man  and  of  a  life-time.  Garfield  was 
splendid  upon  the  field  of  battle,  but  while  there  he 
shone  as  a  star  among  suns,  while  in  the  halls  of 
state  he  shone  as  a  sun  among  stars.  There  was  a 
steady  grandeur  of  purpose,  a  magnificence  of  char- 
acter, a  wealth  of  intellect,  a  power  of  thought,  a 
loftiness  of  courage,  of  that  high,  heroic  type  which 
moral  stamina  alone  can  produce,  which  created  a 
greater  demand  for  him  in  the  councils  of  the  nation 
than  in  the  battle-front  when  warriors  were  the  na- 
tion's sorest  need.  Others  could  take  his  place  in 
Tennessee,  but  not  in  Washington. 

Among  the  nation's  great  productions,  born  midway 
between  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion ;  born  in  times  of  peace,  for  times  of 
direst  carnage  and  divinest  peace  again,  a  very  prince 
of  the  land;  born  to  lead,  and  born  to  rule ;  spring- 
ing at  once  with  the  bound  of  youthful  blood  into 
the  foremost  ranks  of  the  nation's  monarchs  of  forces, 
and  emperors  of  kingly  powers,  is  he  who  leads  to- 
day the  giant  forces  of  the  great  nation's  conquering 
host,  the  Hon.  JAMES  G.  ELAINE,  not  of  Maine,  or 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


of  Massachusetts ;  not  of  Minnesota,  or  the  Golden 
Gate,  but  of  America.  He  is  a  man  of  the  nation's 
heart,  a  man  of  the  nation's  brain,  a  man  of  con- 
science, and  a  man  of  will ;  large,  vivid,  and  power- 
ful in  his  consciousness,  wherein  he  realizes,  in  most 
brilliant  conceptions,  both  the  power  and  glory  of 
men  and  things.  He  came  forth  from  the  mountains 
of  the  Alleghanies,  a  giant  from  the  nation's  side. 

Never  since  the  nation's  youth  was  there  such  de- 
mand for  any  man.  He  is  emphatically  the  typical 
American,  and  the  yeomanry  would  have  him.  They 
caught  his  spirit,  and  would  not  shake  off  the  spell 
of  his  genius.  They  forget  not  to-day  that  he  was 
Garfield's  first  choice,  and  sat  at  Garfield's  right  hand. 
They  remember,  as  only  they  who  think  with  the 
heart  can  remember,  that  as  his  pride  and  confidant, 
he  was  by  Garfield's  side  in  that  awful  hour  of  holy 
martyrdom,  thrusting  back  the  terrible  assassin  with 
one  hand,  and  with  the  other  catching  the  falling 
chief.  Garfield  knew  him,  Garfield  loved  him,  Garfield 
sanctioned,  honored,  trusted,  and  exalted  him.  And 
the  sentiments  of  that  great  heart  which  beat  out  its 
life-blood  for  the  nation's  glory  then,  it  is  firmly  be- 
lieved, are  the  sentiments  of  the  nation's  heart  to-day. 


CONTENTS. 


i. 

THE    BOY. 

Old  Hickory  —  National  Highway  —  Indian-Hill  Farm  —  The 
Alleghanies  —  Daniel  Boone  and  the  Wetzells  —  Scotland 
of  America  —  Birth-Place  —  Ancestors  —  Mother  —  Valley 
Forge  —  The  Old  Covenanters  —  Dickinson  College  —  Cra- 
dle Songs  —  Stories  of  Monmouth  and  Brandywine  —  Old 
United  States  Spelling-Book  —  Country  School-House  — 
Cut  Jackets  —  Uncle  Will  —  Grandfather's  Ferry  —  Too 
Much  Spurt  —  Capt.  Henry  Shreve  —  First  Steamboat  from 
Pittsburgh  —  Life  of  Napoleon  —  Average  Boys'  Ability  — 
Working  on  the  Farm  —  Revolutionary  Soldiers  —  Home 
Training  —  Books  —  Spelling  School  —  Sleigh-Ride  —  Vic- 
tory  Page  21 

II. 
PREPARATION. 

Tnheritance  —  Bullion's  Latin  Grammar  —  Campaign  of  Gen- 
eral Harrison  —  Political  Meetings  —  Jackson's  Methods 

—  Newspapers  —  An   American   Boy  —  Plutarch's  Lives  — 
Seeing  General  Harrison  —  Teachers  —  Homely    People  — 
Grandpa's   Explanation  —  Grandfather  Gillespie's  Death  — 
His    Father's    Library — Swimming    the    River  —  Nutting 

—  Marvel  of  Industry  —  School  in  Lancaster,  Ohio  —  Two 
Boys  by  the  Name   of    James  —  Hon.   Thomas   Ewing  — 
The  Problem  of   Presidents  —  Getting   Ready  for  College 

—  Contrast  with   Garfiekl 40 


IO  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

III. 
IN  COLLEGE. 

Doctor  McConahy  —  Young  Ladies'  Seminary  —  Entering  Col- 
lege —  Habits  —  Good  Teachers  —  Professor  Murray  — 
New  Testament  in  Greek  —  No  Book-Worm  —  An  Old 
Class-Male  —  College  Honors  —  Henry  Clay  —  "  Rights 
and  Duties  of  American  Citizenship  "  —  Who  Reads  an 
American  Book 6c 

IV. 

TEACHING  IN  KENTUCKY. 

A  Triumph  —  Blue  Licks  Military  Academy  —  Five  Hundred 
Dollars  —  Trip  to  Kentucky  —  Stage-Coach  —  A  Young 
Lady  Companion — Great  Country  for  Quail — George- 
town —  "I  am  Mr.  Blaine  "  —  At  Tea  —  Monday  Morn- 
ing —  Hard,  Quick  Work  —  Lexington  and  Frankfort  — 
Annual  Picnic  —  Met  his  Friend  —  Enamored  —  The  Fu- 
ture—  Southern  Trip  —  Two  Winters  in  New  Orleans  — 
Col.  Thorndike  F.  Johnson  —  Bushrod  Johnson  —  Visits 
Home  —  Richard  Henry  Lee  —  Professor  Blaine  ...  71 

V. 
A   NEW   FIELD. 

President  Polk  — One  Old  Bachelor  —  Reading  Law— Insti- 
tution for  the  Blind  —  Pine-Tree  State  —  Kennebec  Journal 

—  Franklin  Pierce  —  Colby  University  and   Bowdoin  Col- 
lege —  Getting   Ready  for   Work  —  Editor's   Chair    ...    95 

VI. 

JOURNALISM. 

Master  of  the  Situation  —  Henry  Ward  Beecher  —  Abolitionists 

—  Attack  on  Sumner  and  Greeley — Senator  Fessenden  — 
John   L.   Stevens  —  Fifty   Days  —  Elaine's    Old    Foreman, 
Howard   Owen  —  Slave  Trade  —  Philadelphia  —  Jefferson's 
Remark  —  Sevvard's  Great  Speech  —  Momentous  Period      .  103 


CONTENTS.  1 1 


VII. 
IN  THE  LEGISLATURE. 

Great  Year  of  Republicanism  —  Fremont  and  Dayton  —  First 
Public  Effort  —  Editorials — Henry  Wilson  —  Richmond  En- 
quirer—  Dred  Scott  Case  —  Sells  Out  —  Coal  Lands  — 
Portland  Daily  Advertiser — No  Vacation  —  Business  Suc- 
cess—  God's  Storm  —  Six  Times  a  Week — Armed  to  the 
Teeth — Right  Ways  —  Political  Weather  —  Earl  of  War- 
wick—  The  Aggressor  —  At  a  Stand-Still  —  Speaker  of  the 
House  —  "Gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Representatives" 

—  Old    Wigwam   at   Chicago  —  A    Firm    Lincoln    Man  — 
Solid     Front— Send    us    Elaine  —  Hullo  !  — Gold-Bowed 
Spectacles  —  Advancing  Backward  —  Can  a  Southern  State 
Secede?  —  Glow  of  the   Contest  —  Whittier's   Poem      .    .123 

VIII. 

SPEAKER   OF  THE   MAINE   LEGISLATURE. 

Latest  from  Charleston  —  Governor  Morrill  —  What  Did  they 
See?  —  Short-Cut  Words  —  Ten  Thousand  from  Maine  — 
Will  Mr.  Elaine  go?  —  North's  History  of  Augusta  —  Colo- 
nel Ellsworth  —  General  Lyon  —  Israel  Washburne,  Jr. 

—  Bloody   Work — Regiments   Born   in  a  Day  —  In  Wash- 
ington—  Senate   and   House    Honored  —  All   the   Material 

for  the  Campaign  —  This  Sort  of  Thing  —  The  New  Year  155 

IX. 

SECOND   TERM   AS   SPEAKER. 

Demand  for  Legislation — Blockade  Runners  —  Fort  Knox  — 
Hog  Island  —  Resolutions  —  Hon.  A.  P.  Gould,  of  Thom- 
aston  —  Opportunity  for  Forensic  Effort  —  Domestic  War 

—  Great  Triumph  of  the  Winter  —  Will  the  Negro  Fight? 

—  Only  Half   a   Negro  —  Nominated  for  Congress  —  Visits 
the  Old  Home  —  Loud  Calls  for  Mr.  Elaine  —  Maine  What? 

—  Republican  before  there  was  a  Party —  Miles  Standish  — 
Open  Letter  —  Love  of  Men 176 


12  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

X. 

ENTERING  CONGRESS. 

Life  in  Washington  —  Cliques  —  Passports  —  First  Resolve  — 
First  Bill  —  Test  of  Ability  —  Great  Speech  —  Working 
Members  —  A  Slight  Rebuff  —  Penitentiary  Bill  —  Con- 
vention of  Governors  —  A  Little  Episode  —  Boutwell's 
Courtesy  —  New  York  City  —  After  Him  from  all  Sides 

—  Union    National    Republican    Convention    at   Baltimore 

—  Fremont    and    Cochrane  —  Delegates  —  Dr.    Robert    J. 
Breckenridge  —  Idol  of  the  Army  —  Million  Men  in  Arms 

—  "War  a  Failure" — Sixty  Day's  Work   in  other  States 

—  No    Mountain   or  Sea-shore  —  Squirm   or   Cheer  —  His 
Speeches  —  " Never   Settled  until  it  is   Settled   Right"  — 
"Give  Me   Gold"  —  Power  with  an  Audience  —  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's Real  Triumph 201 

XL 

SECOND   TERM   IN   CONGRESS. 

Kittery  to  Houlton  —  Re-elected  to  Congress  —  Evolution  — 
Greenbackism  —  Pay  in  Coin  —  Intuition  —  Long  Years  of 
Study  — "I  feel"  and  "I  Know"  —  Befriending  a  Cadet 
— A  Civil  Question — Iron  Clads  that  Will  Not  Float  — 
The  "Jeannette"  —  "A  Cruel  Mockery"  —  Bludgeon  of 
Hard,  Solid  Fact  —  "  Paper  Credits "  —  Keen  Eye  for 
Fraud  —  Flag  Again  Flying  on  Fort  Sumter  —  Unshackle 
Humanity  —  "A  Little  Grievance "  —  Amending  the  Con- 
stitution—  Closing  Speech  —  Thoroughness  and  Mastery,  236 

XII. 

CONTINUED    WORK   IN   CONGRESS. 

Not  McClellan,  but  Lincoln  —  Religious  Character  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  —  War  Closed  —  Lincoln  Murdered  —  Great 
Review  —  Basis  of  Representation  —  History  of  Finance 

—  A    Lively    Tilt  —  Consistency  —  Amnesty  —  At     Home 
in     Congress  —  Political     Re-action  —  Brass  —  No     Red- 
Tape  —  Volunteers   in  the  Regular  Army  —  Fair   Play  — 
Thad.  Stevens  —  Strong   Friendships 262 


CONTENTS.  13 


XIII. 
CONGRESSIONAL  CAREER   CONTINUED. 

On  their  Way  Up  —  The  Place  to  Look  for  Presidents  — 
Drivers  of  the  Quill  —  Seed  Corn  —  Elaine  and  Logan 
Then  —  Little  Things  —  Cornstalks  —  Not  Hot-Headed  — 
Newspapers  —  Europe  —  England's  Trade  —  Parliament  — 
Home  of  his  Ancestors  —  Knowledge  of  French  —  The 
Rhine  and  Florence  —  Malaria  in  the  Bones  —  Studied 
from  Life  —  Italy  a  Joy  —  Return  —  In  his  Seat  —  Five- 
Twenties  —  Power  of  Analysis  —  National  Debt  —  Two 
Days  to  Reply  —  "  Payment  Suspended  "  —  The  President's 
Impeachment  —  Field-Work  —  Hard  or  Soft  Money  — 
Wrings  the  Neck  of  a  Heresy  —  New  President  of  the 
Right  Stamp 277 

XIV. 

SPEAKER  OF   THE   HOUSE   OF   REPRESENTATIVES   IN 
CONGRESS. 

No  Clouds  —  Manhood's  Prime  —  Vacancy  in  the  Speaker's 
Chair  —  How  to  Win  —  Trio  of  Leaders — Right-Hand 
Man  —  Chosen  Chief  —  Tennyson's  Words  —  A  Proud  Day 
—  National  Reputation  —  Drawing  a  Resolution  —  Growth 
of  Congress  —  Third  Election  to  the  Speakership  —  States- 
manship —  Political  Assassination  —  Brigadiers  by  the 
Score  —  Credit  of  the  Fourteenth  Amendment  —  Invite 
Him  up —  Betrayed  —  Reads  the  Letters  —  Cablegram  Sup- 
pressed—  Eye-Witness  —  Proctor  Knott  —  Honored  by 
Governor  Conner,  of  Maine  —  Vindicated  and  Endorsed 
by  the  State  Legislature  —  Answer,  ye  who  Can  !  .  .  298 

XV. 

UNITED   STATES   SENATOR. 

Sabbath  Morning  —  111  and  Weary  Time  —  Gail  Hamilton  — 
Colleague  of  Hannibal  Hamlin  —  One  Inning  Then  —  Gal- 
axies by  the  Score  —  Old  Spirit  of  Freeness  —  Statue  of 
William  King  —  Hard  Money  —  Commodore  Vanderbilt  — 
Weight  of  the  Silver  Dollar  —  "  Order "  —  Honoring  the 


14  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 


Aged  Soldier  —  Magnanimity,  not  Intolerance  —  Pension- 
ing Jeff.  Davis —  Negro  Practically  Disfranchised  —  Groups 
of  States  —  Resolutions  —  Contrasts  and  Comparisons  — 
Peroration  —  White  Man's  Vote  North  and  South  .  .  318 

XVI. 

ELAINE  AND   GARFIELD. 

Forever  Linked  Together  —  Lincoln  and  Seward  —  Young  Men 
Together  —  Dark  Days — Iron  Chest  —  Breath  of  Battle 
Blew  Hottest  —  Beautiful  Plants  —  Massive  Heads  —  Fu- 
ture Candidates  —  A  Matter  of  Honor — Great  Speech  — 
They  Crowned  Him  —  "Command  My  Services"  —  Polit- 
ical Lying  —  Dead  Upon  the  Field  —  True  as  Steel  — 
His  First,  Best  Friend  —  Clean  as  Well  as  Competent  — 
At  His  Right  Hand  —  Love  Lights  the  Path  ....  337 

XVII. 
SECRETARY   OF   STATE. 

Foreign  Policy  of  the  Garfield  Administration  —  War  in  South 
America  —  General  Hurlbut  —  Chilian  Authorities  —  The 
Three  Republics  —  Object  of  the  Peace  Congress  —  Wil- 
liam Henry  Trescot  —  Received  a  Vindication  —  A  Beau- 
tiful Prophecy  —  Lincoln  and  Blaine  —  Clayton-Bulwer 
Treaty  —  Servant  of  his  Genius  —  The  Assassin's  Bullet,  351 

XVIII. 
HOME  LIFE  OF  MR.   BLAINE. 

"Letters  to  the  Joneses"  —  Home  a  Republic  —  Why  Not 
Shine  on?  —  Brown  House  on  Green  Street  —  Come  and 
See  Me  —  Pound  of  Steak  —  "James!  James  I r>  —  "  Must 
not  Work  so  Hard  "  —  Every  Vote  in  America  —  A  Ba- 
by-Boy—  Sorrow— Six  Children  —  "Owen,  Have  You  a 
Quarter?"  — A  Good  Joke— The  Family  Pew  — Bible- 
Class  Teacher  —  His  Old  Pastors  —  More  Copy  — The 
Man,  Not  the  Clothes  — Stranger  to  Storms  —  State- 
street  Home  —  Press  Excursions — Bright  Side  of  Things 


CONTENTS.  15 


—  No    Liquors  —  Home  Life   at  its  Zenith  —  Photographs 

—  The  Hammock  —  The   Coolest  of  the  Company  .    .    .  362 

XIX. 

CHARACTERISTICS   OF   MR.   ELAINE. 

A  Business  Man's  Estimate  —  Incident  Showing  Versatility  — 
Curiosity  —  Humor  —  Coolness  and  Self-Possession  —  Re- 
tentive Memory — Genuineness  and  Simplicity — Scene 
with  a  Malicious  Reporter  —  Great-Heartedness — Lover 
of  Fair  Play  —  Sense  of  Honor  —  Industry  —  Sympathy 
for  Misfortune  —  Caution  —  A  Singular  Habit  —  Vigorous 
Exercise  —  Punctuality  —  General  Resume  ......  384 

XX. 

NOMINATION   FOR   PRESIDENT. 

A  Steady  March  Upward  —  Campaigns  of  1876  and  1880  — 
His  Loyalty  under  Defeat  —  The  Great  Convention  of 
1884  —  Organization  and  Preliminaries  —  Maine's  Favorite 
Son  Presented  —  Twelve  Thousand  People  Cheering  — 
Exciting  Scenes  —  The  First  Ballot  —  Gains  for  Blaine 

—  The    People's    Choice  —  A    Whirlwind    of    Vociferous 
Applause  —  Blaine's   Nomination   Made   Unanimous — The 
Evening    Session  —  Gen.  John   A.    Logan    for    Vice-Presi- 
dent       402 

XXI. 

GEN.  JOHN  A.  LOGAN. 

Hfs  Birth  —  Parentage  —  Youth  —  Slight  Educational  Oppor- 
tunities—  Shiloh  Academy  —  Enlistment  for  the  Mexican 
War  —  Fearlessness  —  Promotion  —  Additional  Studies  — 
Enters  on  the  Profession  of  Law  —  Clerk  of  Jackson 
County  —  Prosecuting  Attorney — In  the  Legislature  — 
Presidential  Elector  —  On  the  Stump  —  A  False  Allega- 
tion—  Surrounded  by  Rebel  Sympathizers — Lincoln's 
Election  —  In  Congress  —  Raises  a  Regiment  —  Brilliant 
Career  in  the  Army  —  Rapid  Elevation  —  Major-General 


l6  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

within  a  Year — "I  Have  Entered  the  Field  to  Die, 
if  Need  be"  — At  the  Head  of  the  Fifteenth  Army 
Corps  —  "  Atlanta  to  the  Sea  "  —  Lincoln's  Second  Elec- 
tion—  Johnston's  Surrender  —  The  Grand  Review — Res- 
ignation from  the  Service  —  Declines  Mission  to  Mex- 
ico—  Rep  ated  Elections  to  Congress — On  the  Impeach- 
ment Committee  —  Chosen  United  States  Senator  —  His 
Eloquence  —  Helps  Found  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public—  First  National  Commander — Action  on  Finan- 
cial Measures  —  His  Modest  Mode  of  Life  —  A  Noble 
Wife  —  His  Children  —  Stalwart  Supporter  of  General 
Grant  —  Nominated  for  the  Vice-Presidency  —  Conclusion,  409 


a 
3 
O 


PINE  TO  POTOMAC 


i. 


THE    BOY. 


coming !     He    will 


great    coach    to-moiv 


LD     HICKORY    is 

be    along    in    his 

row,  before  noon,"  rang  out  the  cheery 
voice  of  Uncle  Will  Elaine,  who 
seemed  glad  all  over  at  the  prospect  of  once 
more  seeing  the  Hero  of  New  Orleans  and  the 
man  of  iron  will. 

"Well,  let  him  come,"  said  the  Prothonotary. 
"  I  would  not  walk  up  to  the  cross-roads  to  see 
him,"  and  the  face  of  the  old  Whig  grew  stern 
with  determination. 

"You  will  let  me  take  Jimmy,  will  you  not, 
to  see  the  old  General  ? " 

"  O,  yes,  you  can  take  him,"  the  politic  use 
of  General  instead  of  President  having  relaxed, 
somewhat,  the  stern  features  of  the  sturdy 
Scottish  face. 

(31) 


22  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


"He's  coming!  He's  coming!  Hurrah!  Hur- 
rah! Here  he  comes,"  shouted  voice  after  voice 
of  the  great  crowd  assembled  on  the  morrow, 
from  valley  and  mountain,  Uncle  Will  leading 
off  at  last,  with  the  regular  old-fashioned  conti- 
nental "Hip,  Hip,  Hurrah,"  with  three-times- 
three. 

Martial  music,  of  the  old  revolutionary  sort, 
rang  out,  with  fife  and  drum,  as  President  Jack- 
son, who  had  just  been  succeeded  by  Martin 
Van  Buren,  after  serving  from  1829  to  1837, 
stepped  from  his  carriage,  and  after  a  hearty 
greeting,  spoke  a  few  incisive  words,  as  only  the 
t)ld  hero  could. 

A  boy  seven  years  old  was  held  above  the 
crowd,  just  before  him,  by  the  strong  arms  of 
Uncle  Will.  The  General  saw  the  large,  won- 
dering eyes,  and  the  eager  face,  patted  him 
on  the  head,  saying,  "I  am  glad  to  see  you, 
my  noble  lad." 

The   boy   was   James    G.    Elaine. 

The  impression  of  that  moment  remains  to 
this  hour.  Little  did  General  Jackson  think  he 
was  looking  into  the  face  of  a  future  candidate 
for  the  presidency. 

The  National  Road  over  which  the  congress- 
men and  presidents,  and  the  great  tide  of  travel 
from  the  west  and  south,  passed  to  and  from 
Washington,  was  near  his  father's  door. 


THE    BOY.  23 

This  National  highway,  built  by  the  govern- 
ment before  the  days  of  railroads  and  steam- 
boats, was  a  strong  band  •>{  union  between  re- 
mote sections  of  the  country.  It  was  a  high- 
way of  commerce  as  well  as  of  travel,  and 
formed  one  of  the  chief  features  in  the  country, 
so  rapidly  filling  up  after  the  fearful  storms  of 
war  were  over  and  the  settled  years  of  peace 
had  come. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  inspired  penmen 
have  sketched  the  infancy  of  most  of  the  great 
men  whose  lives  they  have  portrayed.  This  is 
beautifully  true  of  Moses,  the  great  emancipator 
and  leader,  a  law-giver  of  the  ancient  Hebrew 
people.  How  they  glorify  the  childhood  of  this 
great  man,  and  make  us  love  him  at  the  start ! 
So,  also,  are  the  infancy  and  childhood  of  Sam- 
uel, great  among  the  prophets  of  Israel,  disclosed. 
The  voice  of  his  heroic  mother  is  heard  as 
she  gives  him  to  the  Lord.  The  infancy  of 
John,  the  mighty  man  at  the  Jordan,  and  of 
Jesus,  are  most  impressively  revealed.  No  love- 
lier pictures  hang  on  the  walls  of  memory;  no 
sweeter  sunshine  fills  the  home  than  the  little 
ones  with  their  joy  and  prattle,  and  with  the 
sublime  possibilities  to  be  unfolded  as  they  fill 
up  the  ranks  in  humanity's  march,  or  take  the 
lead  of  the  myriad  host. 

As   we  go   back   to   study   the   beginnings   of  a 


24  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

world,  so  may  we  well  look  back  to  behold  the 
dawning  of  that  life,  great  in  the  nation's  love 
and  purpose  to-day. 

We  shall  find  there  a  child  of  nature,  born 
in  no  mansion  or  city,  but  on  "  Indian  farm," 
upon  the  Washington  side  of  the  Monongahela 
River,  opposite  the  village  of  Brownsville,  and 
about  sixty  miles  below  Pittsburgh,  in  the  old 
Quaker  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

It  was  at  the  foot-hills  of  the  Alleghanies,  a 
region  wild,  romantic,  and  grand,  well  fitted  to 
photograph  omnipotence  upon  the  fresh  young 
mind,  and  impress  it  with  the  greatness  of  the 
world.  It  was  a  section  of  country  whose  early 
history  is  marked  with  all  that  is  thrilling  in 
the  details  of  Indian  warfare,  which  constituted 
the  chief  staple  of  childhood  stories. 

Daniel  Boone  'and  the  Wetzells  had  been  there. 
The  startled  air  had  echoed  with  the  crack  of 
their  rifles ;  the  artillery  of  the  nation  had  re- 
sounded through  these  mountains;  the  black 
clouds  of  war  had  blown  across  the  skies,  and  the 
smoke  of  battle  had  drifted  down  those  valleys. 

All  that  is  terrible  in  nature  had  its  birth  and 
home  in  that  section  of  our  country,  which  is 
most  like  the  great  ocean  petrified  in  its  angriest 
mood  and  mightiest  upheavals.  The  bears  and 
wolves,  in  their  numbers,  ferocity,  and  might  com- 
manded in  early  days  the  respect  even  of  sava- 


THE   BOY.  2$ 

ges,  while  elk  and  deer,  antelope  and  fowl,  and 
fish  in  endless  variety,  birds  and  flowers  of  every 
hue,  and  foliage  of  countless  species,  won  the  ad- 
miration of  these  rude  children  of  nature. 

Here  in  this  Scotland  of  America,  born  of  a 
sturdy  ancestry  whose  muscle  and  brain,  courage 
and  mighty  wills,  had  made  them  masters  of 
mountain  and  glen,  —  here  in  the  heart  of  the  con- 
tinent,— James  G.  Elaine  was  born.  Eternal  vigi- 
lance had  not  only  been  the  price  of  liberty  in 
that  bold  mountain  home  for  generations,  but  the 
price  of  life  itself. 

It  was  in  a  large  stone  house,  built  by  his 
great-grandfather  Gillespie,  that  James  Gillespie 
Elaine  was  born,  January  31,  1830,  one  of  eight 
strong,  robust,  and  hearty  children,  five  of  whom 
survive.  It  was  midway  between  the  war  of  1812 
and  the  Mexican  war  of  1848,  and  in  a  country 
settled  nearly  fifty  years  before  by  soldiers  of  the 
Revolution.  Few  are  born  in  circumstances  of 
better  promise  for  the  full  unfolding  of  the  facul- 
ties of  body  and  mind  than  was  this  child  of  four 
and  fifty  years  ago,  cradled  in  the  old  stone  house 
on  the  ancestral  farm.  The  house  itself  tells 
of  the  Old  World  ;  and  those  mountains  whose 
heights  are  in  the  blue,  tell  of  Scottish  and  Irish 
clans  that  never  lose  the  old  fire  and  the  old  love, 
and  that  marched  from  the  conquest  of  the  Old 
to  the  conquering  of  the  New  World. 


26  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

The  father,  Ephraim  Lyon  Elaine,  was  of  Scot- 
tish origin,  and  Presbyterian  of  truest  blood,  with 
sign  and  seal  and  signet  stamp  of  the  old  Scotch 
Covenanters  upon  life  and  character.  His  ances- 
tors came  to  this  country  in  1/20,  —  one  hundred 
and  ten  years  before  the  birth  of  James. 

His  mother,  Maria  Gillespie,  was  of  an  Irish- 
Catholic  family  from  Donegal  in  Ireland.  They 
belonged  to  the  Clan  Campbell,  Scotch-Irish  Cath- 
olics, and  descended  from  the  Argyles  of  Scotland. 
They  came  to  America  in  1764,  and  were  Cath- 
olics through  and  through.  They  were  large  land- 
owners in  America,  and  resided  wholly  in  old 
colonial  Pennsylvania. 

The  great-grandfather  of  Ephraim  Lyon  Blaine, 
father  of  James  G.,  was  born  in  1741,  and  died 
at  Carlisle,  Penn.,  in  March,  1804.  He  was  a 
colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war  from  its  com- 
mencement, and  the  last  four  years  of  the  war 
was  the  Commissary  General.  He  was  with  Wash- 
ington amid  the  most  trying  scenes,  and  enjoyed 
his  entire  confidence.  During  the  dark  winter  at 
Valley  Forge,  he  was  by  the  side  of  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  history  that 
the  army  was  saved  from  starvation  by  his  vigi- 
lant and  tireless  activity.  It  is  not  difficult. to  see 
how  stupendous  was  the  task  of  subsisting  broken 
and  shattered  forces  in  the  dead  of  an  awful 
winter,  upon  an  exhausted  country.  It  required 


THE    BOY.  27 

skill  and  courage,  tact  and  force  of  personal 
power,  not  surpassed  even  in  the  daring  march  of 
Napoleon  across  the  Alps.  But  he  did  it,  brave, 
determined  spirit  that  he  was.  Others  might  fal- 
ter, but  not  he ;  others  might  break  down  from 
sheer  exhaustion  or  dismay,  but  not  General 
Elaine,  so  long  as  the  fires  of  the  unbroken  spirit 
of  the  old  Covenanters  heated  the  furnace  of  his 
heart,  and  their  high  resolve  for  liberty  was  en- 
throned in  his  affections. 

From  such  parent  stock  what  shall  the  bloom 
and  blossom  be  ?  What  the  fruitage  and  harvest- 
ing of  other  years  from  the  seed-sowing  of  such 
splendid  living  ?  Not  what  the  height  of  stature, 
but  what  the  stature  of  soul,  —  not  what  the 
breadth  of  back,  nor  bigness  of  brawn,  but  what 
the  breadth  of  mind  and  bigness  of  brain  ? 

Let  the  history  of  our  day  and  generation  make 
reply. 

Eight  years  before  the  old  patriot  General 
died,  at  Carlisle,  his  grandson,  Ephraim  Lyon 
Elaine,  the  father  of  James,  was  born  in  the 
same  quaint  old  Scottish  town.  At  Dickinson 
College  he  received  his  education,  and  settled  as 
a  lawyer  in  Washington  County,  Penn.,  where 
for  years  he  lived  an  honored  and  useful  life  as 
Prothonotary  of  the  Courts ;  and  here,  amid  the 
lull  in  the  storm  of  battle-years,  the  boy,  James 
G.  Elaine,  was  born. 


28  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

His  cradle-songs  were  the  old  songs  of  the 
New  Republic.  It  is  pleasant  to  think  of  such 
a  personage  coming  to  consciousness,  clear  and 
strong,  among  such  hallowed  scenes  of  a  land 
redeemed,  a  nation  born,  a  people  free.  All 
about  our  youthful  hero  were  the  scarred  faces 
and  shattered  forms  of  those  who  had  come  back 
from  the  fields  of  strife. 

The  stories  of  Monmouth  and  Brandywine,  of 
Concord  and  Lexington,  of  New  Orleans  and 
Yorktown,  were  lived  over  and  dreamed 
about.  Living  epistles,  walking  histories,  were 
all  about  him.  Instead  of  reading  about  them, 
they  read  to  him,  poured  out  the  dearly-bought 
treasures  of  a  life,  painted  scenes  that  were  for- 
ever impressed  upon  their  minds ;  with  all 
the  shades  of  life  and  death,  unrolled  the  pan- 
orama of  the  great  campaigns,  through  those 
long,  dread  battle-years.  What  education  this,  in 
home  and  street,  in  shop  and  store,  on  farm 
and  everywhere,  for  patriot  youth !  It  gave  a 
love  and  zest  for  historic  reading,  which  must  be 
traced  when  we  enter  more  largely  upon  his 
literary  and  educational  career. 

At  five  years  of  age  the  systematic  work  of 
an  education  began  by  sending  James  to 
a  common  country  school  near  by.  The  old 
United  States  spelling-book  was  the  chief  text- 
book. Webster's  spelling-book  was  not  then  in 


THE   BOY.  29 

vogue.  Nothing  remarkable  transpired,  except  to 
note  the  proficiency  and  steady  progress  he  made 
in  mastering  the  language  he  has  learned  so 
well  to  use. 

The  intensity  of  his  life  was  that  within,  rather 
than  the  outer  life.  He  was  observing,  drink- 
ing in  with  eyes  and  ears.  Robinson  Crusoe 
was  his  first  book,  as  it  has  been  with  many 
another  boy,  and  from  this  beginning  he  became 
a  most  omnivorous  reader. 

His  first  two  teachers  were  ladies,  and  are 
still  living.  The  first,  a  Quakeress,  Miss  Mary 
Ann  Graves,  now  Mrs.  Johnson,  living  near  Can- 
ton, Ohio,  eighty-four  years  of  age ;  the  other 
was  Mrs.  Matilda  Dorsey,  still  living  at  Browns- 
ville, just  across  the  Monongahela  River  from 
Washington  County,  where  Mr.  Elaine  was  born. 
While  speaking  in  Ohio,  five  years  ago,  during 
Governor  Foster's  campaign,  his  old  teacher, 
Mrs.  Johnson,  came  forward  at  the  close  of  his 
speech  to  congratulate  _  her  old  scholar.  How 
little  these  two  women  dreamed  of  the  splendid 
future  of  the  young  mind  they  helped  start  up 
the  hill  of  knowledge ;  how  little  they  thought 
of  the  tremendous  power  with  which  he  would 
one  day  use  the  words,  great  and  small,  he 
spelled  out  of  that  old  book ;  the  great  occa« 
sions  upon  which  he  would  marshal  them,  as  a 
general  marshals  his  men  for  effective  warfare ; 


30  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

of  the  great  speeches,  orations,  debates,  papers, 
pamphlets,  and  books  into  which  he  would  put 
a  power  of  thought  that  would  move  nations. 

It  was  merely  a  country  school-house,  and  the 
old  frame-building  has  been  torn  down,  and  a  new 
and  more  modern  brick  house  substituted.  It  was 
not  simply  to  spell  words,  but  also  to  read  and 
write,  and,  indeed,  gain  the  rudiments  of  a  thor- 
ough English  education. 

As  a  learner,  he  exhibited  the  same  quick, 
energetic  traits  of  mind  he  has  since  shown  in 
the  use  of  the  knowledge  gained. 

It  was  upon  the  hardest  kind  of  high,  rough 
seats  his  'first  lessons  were  learned,  with  none  of 
the  splendid  appliances  of  the  graded  school  of 
to-day.  Then  was  the  time  of  the  rod  and 
fool's  cap,  which  many  remember  so  distinctly. 
Boys  that  fought  were  compelled  to  "cut  jack- 
ets," as  it  was  called.  The  stoutest  boy  in 
school  was  sent  with  an  old-fashioned  jack-knife 
to  cut  three  long  switches,  stiff,  and  strong,  and 
lithe.  The  offending  boys  were  called  upon  the 
floor  before  the  whole  school,  and  each  one 
given  a  rod,  while  the  teacher  reserved  the 
third.  They  were  commanded  to  go  at  it,  and 
at  it  they  went,  to  the  uproarious  delight  of  the 
whole  school.  Nothing  could  be  more  ludicrous, 
as  stroke  after  stroke  thicker  and  faster  fell, 
on  shoulders,  back,  and  legs,  while  the  blood  flew 


THE   BOY.  31 

through  their  veins  hot  and  tingling.  The  con- 
test ended  only  when  the  switches  gave  out. 
When  one  was  broken  and  cast  away,  the  teacher 
stepped  up  and  laid  his  switch  on  the  back  of 
the  boy  whose  switch  was  whole,  while  the  other 
fellow  had  to  stand  and  take  it  from  the  boy 
whose  switch  was  yet  sound.  So  they  kept  at 
it,  stroke  after  stroke. 

The  demoralizing  effect  for  the  moment  had  a 
great  moralizing  power  afterward.  No  boy  ever 
wanted  to  take  the  place  of  one  of  these  boys. 

Master  James  was  seldom  punished  at  school, 
except  to  have  his  knuckles  rapped  with  the  ru- 
ler, or  ears  boxed  for  some  slight  offence ;  but 
he  never  failed  to  take  full  notes  of  the  fracas, 
when  other  boys  received  their  just  deserts.  His 
observations  have  always  been  very  minute,  and 
his  remembrances  distinct.  Among  his  earliest 
recollections  is  one  in  1834,  when  he  was  but  four 
years  of  age,  the  building  of  a  bridge  across  the 
Monongahela  River  to  Brownsville,  by  the  com- 
pany that  constructed  the  National  Road.  His 
Uncle  Will  took  him  by  the  hand  and  led  him 
out  upon  the  big  timbers,  between  which  he 
could  look  down  and  see  the  waters  below.  The 
building  of  this  bridge  was  a  great  event  to  the 
people,  and  one  of  special  interest  in  the  Gil- 
lespie  family,  as  his  grandfather  owned  the  ferry, 
which  of  course  the  bridge  superseded,  and  which 


32  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

had  been  a  source  of  revenue  to  the  extent  of 
five  thousand  dollars  a  year  to  him.  But  in  the 
march  of  progress  ferries  give  way  to  bridges,  as 
boyhood  does  to  manhood,  and  by  a  sort  of  mute 
prophecy  that  bridge  made  and  proclaimed  the 
way  to  Washington  more  easy.  It  was  to  him 
the  bridge  over  that  dark  river  of  oblivion  from 
the  unknown  of  childhood  to  the  consciousness 
of  youth  and  manhood.  This  same  uncle,  William 
L.  Gillespie,  who  held  him  by  the  hand  while  on 
the  bridge,  was  often  with  his  favorite  nephew, 
and  exerted  a  strong  influence  for  good  upon  him. 
He  was  a  fine  scholar,  a  splendid  gentleman,  and 
a  man  of  infinite  jest.  The  impressions  received 
from  one  so  accomplished,  and  yet  so  genial,  lov- 
ing, and  tender,  during  these  walks  and  talks, 
of  almost  constant  and  daily  intercourse,  are  seen 
and  felt  to-day  in  the  character  of  the  nephew 
of  whom  we  write. 

The  first  outbreak  in  the  nature  of  young  James, 
and  which  shows  latent  barbarism  so  common  to 
human  nature,  was  a  little  escapade  which  hap- 
pened when  about  five  years  old.  A  Welshman, 
by  the  name  of  Stephen  Westley,  was  digging  a 
well  in  the  neighborhood;  in  some  way  he  had 
injured  the  boy  and  greatly  enraged  him.  The 
man  at  the  top  of  the  well  had  gone  away, 
and  Master  James,  who  never  failed  to  see  an 
opportunity,  or  to  estimate  it  at  its  propci 


THE   BOY.  33 

value  and  improve  it  promptly,   stepped    upon   the 
scene. 

He  found  his  man  just  where  he  wanted  him, 
and  without  reflection  as  to  consequences,  began 
immediately  to  throw  clods  and  stones  upon  him, 
which  of  course  was  no  source  of  amusement  to 
the  man  below.  He  screamed  lustily,  and  on 
being  rescued  went  to  the  house  and  complained 
of  the  young  offender,  saying, — 

"He   has   too   much   spurt"    (spirit). 

It  cost  James  a  good  thrashing,  but  the  Welsh- 
man is  not  the  only  one  who  has  had  just  cause 
to  feel  that  "he  had  too  much  spirit."  Indeed  it 
is  the  same  great,  determined  spirit,  trained,  tem- 
pered, and  toned  by  the  stern  conflict  of  life, 
which  is  the  law  of  fullest  development,  and 
brought  under  complete  control,  that  has  given 
Mr.  Blaine  his  national  prominence,  and  filled  the 
American  mind  with  the  proud  dream  of  his  lead- 
ership. 

His  grandfather  Gillespie  was  the  great  man  of 
that  region.  His  Indian  Hill  farm,  with  its  sev- 
eral large  houses  and  barns,  was  a  prominent 
feature  of  the  country.  He  was  a  man  of  large 
wealth  for  his  time;  built  mills  and  engaged  in 
various  enterprises,  clamming  the  river  for  milling 
purposes,  which  was  a  herculean  task.  In  1811, 
in  company  with  Capt.  Henry  Shreve,  later  of 
Shrcveport,  he  sent  the  first  steamer  from  Pitts- 


34  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

burgh.  It  was  not  until  the  year  following  that 
Fulton  and  Livingston  began  building  steamers  in 
that  city. 

This  grandfather,  Ncal  Gillespie,  was  five  years 
old  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution  began,  and  as 
a  boy  received  the  full  impression  of  those  scenes 
from  the  very  midst  of  the  fray  in  his  Pennsyl- 
vania home.  It  doubtless  helped  to  produce  and 
awaken  in  him  that  great  energy  of  character, 
and  force  of  personality  which  enabled  him  to 
amass  a  fortune  in  that  western  wild,  and  in 
every  way  help  forward  the  country's  develop- 
ment. 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  James  to  spend  the 
first  nine  years  of  his  life  in  the  closest  relations 
of  grandson  to  grandsire,  with  this  remarkable 
man;  and  doubtless  much  of  that  magnetism  and 
rich  personality  for  which  Mr.  Elaine  is  so  justly 
noted,  may  be  traced  to  this  strong-natured  and 
powerful  ancestor  upon  the  side  of  his  mother, 
as  well  as  to  Gen.  Ephraim  Elaine,  on  the  side 
of  his  father.  He  inherits  the  combined  traits  of 
character  which  gave  them  prominence  and  suc- 
cess in  life. 

The  little  country  school  and  its  slow,  monot- 
onous processes,  were  not  rapid  enough  for  the 
swift,  eager  mind  of  the  boy.  He  had  learned 
to  read,  and  a  new  world  opened  to  him.  He 
c.iught  its  charm  and  inspiration.  He  had  read 


THE   BOY.  35 

Scott's  Life  of  Napoleon  before  he  was  eight 
years  old, — a  little  fellow  of  seven,  on  a  farm 
in  an  almost  wilderness,  devouring  with  his 
eager  mind  such  a  work !  Half  of  our  public 
men  have  never  even  heard  of  it  yet.  But 
what  is  perfectly  amazing,  before  he  was  nine 
years  old  he  had  gone  over  all  of  Plutarch's 
Lives,  reciting  the  histories  to  his  grandfather 
Gillespie,  who  died  when  he  was  nine  years  of 
age. 

He  acquired  all  that  Isocrates  and  Alcibiades 
tell  of,  before  he  was  ten  years  old,  and  it 
is  a  conviction  with  Mr.  Blaine  that  the  com- 
mon ideas  of  the  average  boy's  ability  need  to 
be  greatly  enlarged.  Certain  it  was,  that  he 
inherited  a  hardy  mental  and  physical  constitu- 
tion. Life  on  that  great  farm  kept  him  engaged 
and  associated  constantly  with  men  who  both 
enjoyed  and  appreciated  learning,  and  who  loved 
him  and  saw  in  him  at  least  a  remarkably 
bright  boy. 

Especially  did  his  father,  who  was  a  college 
graduate  and  member  of  the  bar,  see  that  he 
was  steadily  and  persistently  drilled,  and  to  his 
father  Mr.  Blaine  freely  gives  the  credit  so 
largely  and  justly  due.  His  reading  was  not 
the  careless,  hap-hazard  doing  of  a  big-brained 
boy,  who  read  from  curiosity  simply  to  while 
away  time,  but  there  was  method  in  it, — a  quiet- 


36  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

ing  hand   was   on    him,  —  it   was    all    done   under 
intelligent,    wise,    and    loving   direction. 

/There  was  none  of  the  hard,  rough,  and  bitter 
experiences  in  his  boyhood  days  or  early  man- 
hood, to  which  so  many  of  our  nation's  great 
men  were  subjected.  He  had  none  of  the  long 
and  desperate  struggle  with  poverty  and  adver- 
sity which  hung  on  Mr.  Garfield's  early  years. 
He  knew  nothing  by  experience  of  the  priva- 
tions and  hardships  through  which  Mr.  Lincoln 
came  to  the  high  honors  of  the  nation  and  the 
world  ;  but  sprang  from  the  second  generation 
after  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  from  a  long 
line  of  ancestors  who  had  been  large  land-owners 
and  gentlemen  in  the  sense  of  wealth  and  edu- 
cation, as  well  as  in  that  finely  cultivated  sense, 
of  which  Mr.  Elaine  is  himself  so  excellent  an 
exponent. 

James  worked  on  the  farm,  carried  water  to 
the  men,  and  carried  the  sheaves  of  grain 
together  for  the  shockers,  and  did  just  as  any 
school-boy  on  a  farm  would  do; — hunt  the  eggs, 
frolic  with  the  calves,  feed  the  pigs,  drive  up 
the  cows,  run  on  errands,  pet  the  lambs,  bring 
in  wood,  and  split  the  kindlings.  He  loved  the 
sports  in  which  boys  still  delight ;  went  fishing, 
played  ball,  rowed  his  boat  on  the  river,  and 
would  laugh,  and  jump,  and  tumble,  and  run 
equal  to  any  boy.  All  the  boys  about  him  were 


THE    HOY.  37 

sons  or  grandsons  of  old  Revolutionary  soldiers. 
They  had  a  lesson  which  this  day  does  not  enjoy, 
to  talk  over  and  keep  full  of  the  old  theme.  The 
nation  was  then  young,  and  new,  and  fresh. 
The  Fourth  of  July  was  celebrated  as  it  is 
not  row;  when  old  soldiers  passed  away,  their 
deeds  and  worth  were  all  talked  over.  The 
result  was  an  intense  Americanism,  for  which  he 
has  since  become  noted,  and  which  has  made 
him  an  American  through  and  through,  of  the 
most  pronounced  loyalty  and  patriotic  type,  as 
to  deem  a  stain  upon  his  country's  honor  an 
individual  disgrace. 

Empty  sleeves  and  nothing  to  fill  them,  limbs 
gone  and  no  substitute  for  them,  were  as  com- 
mon then  comparatively  as  they  are  now,  only 
now  there  is  an  artificial  substitute. 

James  enjoyed  the  benefits  and  blessings  of  a 
large  family  home.  It  was  the  practice  of  his 
father  to  read  aloud  to  his  family,  and  thus  the 
evening-hours  were  utilized  in  the  early  education 
of  his  children.  Home  training,  so  often  neglected 
now,  was  in  vogue  then,  and  the  legal,  scholarly 
mind  of  Mr.  Elaine  could  well  choose  in  his  fa- 
therly love  and  pride,  just  what  was  best  suited  to 
the  young  minds  about  him,  while  he  was  amply 
competent  to  give  intelligent  and  suitable  answers 
to  the  numerous  questions  called  forth  by  the  nar- 
ration in  hand.  That  great  National  Road  to  the 


58  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

cities  of  the  Union,  and  its  larger  towns,  was  a 
highway  of  intelligence.  Not  only  did  it  bring  the 
mail  and  all  the  news,  but  many  a  book,  maga- 
zine, or  other  periodical  they  were  pleased  to 
order. 

Beside,  the  direct  communication  by  steamer 
with  Pittsburgh  and  points  above,  which  had  been 
the  case  eighteen  years  before  the  birth  of  James, 
supplied  abundant  means  for  travel  and  correspond- 
ence with  other  quarters.  Living  where  the 
steamers  passed  the  highway,  they  were  more 
highly  favored  with  facilities  of  commerce  and  the 
news  than  perhaps  any  other  portion  of  the  land. 
They  could  get  all  there  was  going.  There  was 
no  telegraph,  and  none  of  the  swifter  means  of 
travel  so  common  now ;  canal-boats  were  a  luxury 
then.  But  all  was  life  and  energy.  The  enthusi- 
asm of  manhood  was  on  the  nation.  Then,  indeed, 
it  was  in  manhood's  glory.  It  had  grown  to 
be  its  own  ruler  and  governor ;  was  truly  of  age, 
and  did  its  own  voting.  British  interference  had 
learned  its  lesson  of  modest  withdrawal,  and  for 
the  same  period  of  eighteen  years  no  unnaturalized 
Englishman  had  been  found  on  American  soil  witli 
a  uniform  on  and  a  gun  in  his  hand. 

There  was  a  fine  piano  in  the  home  of  Mr. 
Blainc,  and  the  good  wife  and  mother  was  an 
excellent  player,  and  frequently  delighted  the 
household  with  music.  Songs  abounded  ;  a  harp- 


THE    BOY.  39 

sichord  was  in  the  home,  and  it  added  its  quaint 
music  to  the  melody  of  the  circle. 

But  James  could  not  leave  books  alone,  especially 
history.  The  history  of  the  country  was  read  by 
him  over  and  over  again.  The  books  he  had  read, 
and  that  had  been  carefully  read  to  him  by  the 
time  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  would  surpass  in 
number,  size,  and  literary  value,  the  libraries  of 
many  a  professional  man,  outside  his  purely  pro- 
fessional works,  and  not  only  had  the  principal 
ones  been  read,  but  studied  and  recited.  Seldom 
is  any  boy  so  highly  favored  with  the  interested 
personal  efforts  of  such  a  trio  of  educators  as 
were  the  father,  uncle,  and  grandfather  of  Mr. 
Elaine. 

It  is  frequently  said  by  college-graduates,  that 
they  learn  more  outside  of  the  recitation-room,  from 
association  with  teachers  and  students  from  libra- 
ries and  in  the  societies,  than  in  the  room  for 
instruction.  It  was  in  associating  with  these  rela- 
tives, cultured  and  gentlemanly,  able  and  instruc- 
tive, that  he  was  encouraged  and  inspired  to  his 
task  of  learning.  Jarnes  mastered  the  spelling- 
book  ;  in  fact,  he  was  the  best  speller  in  the 
school,  and  was  called  out  far  and  near  to  spell- 
ing-matches, and  every  time  "that  boy  of  Mr. 
Elaine's "  would  stand  alone  and  at  the  head, 
when  all  the  neighborhood  of  schools  was 
"spelled  down." 


4O  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

One  night  the  word  was  "Enfeoff."  It  came 
toward  the  last,  and  was  one  of  the  test  words. 
The  sides  were  badly  thinned  as  "  independency, 
chamois,  circumnavigation,"  and  a  host  of  other 
difficult  words  had  been  given  out.  But  the  hour 
was  growing  late ;  some  of  the  young  fellows 
began  to  think  of  going  home  with  the  girls,  of 
a  big  sleigh-ride  down  the  mountain  and  through 
the  valleys,  and  one  big,  merry  load  belonged 
over  the  river  at  Brownsville,  and  they  began  to 
be  a  little  restless.  But  still  there  was  good 
interest  as  this  favorite  triumphed,  and  that  one 
went  down.  Finally  the  word  was  given,  all 
missed  it  and  sat  down  but  James.  Every  eye 
was  on  him  as  the  president  of  the  evening 
said  "Next,"  and  our  little  master  of  the  situa- 
tion spelt  "En-feoff." 

No  effort  was  made  to  restrain  the  cheers. 
The  triumph  was  complete. 


II. 


PREPARATION. 


T  the  death  of  his  grandfather  Gtllespie, 
who  was  worth  about  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  —  a  large  sum  for 
that  early  time,  —  Mrs.  Elaine  inher- 
ited, among  other  things,  one-third  of  the  great 
Indian  Hill  Farm,  comprising  about  five  hundred 
acres,  with  great  houses,  orchards,  and  barns,  —  a 
small  village  of  itself. 

This,  with  his  father's  office  in  the  courts, 
and  other  property,  placed  the  family  in  good 
circumstances,  and  it  was  decided  to  give  James 
a  thorough  education.  He  was  now  nine  years 
old,  with  a  mind  as  fully  trained  and  richly 
stored  as  could  be  found  for  one  of  his  years. 
He  was  a  ready  talker,  and  loved  discussion, 
and  so  frequently  showed  what  there  was  in  him 
by  the  lively  debates  and  conversations  into  which 
he  was  drawn. 

Thus  his  ability  to  express  himself  tersely  and 
to  the  point,  was  early  developed.  He  came  to 
be,  almost  unconsciously,  growing  tip  as  he  did 


42  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

among  them,  the  admiration  and  delight  of  the 
large  circle  of  friends  and  loved  ones,  whose  in- 
terest centered  on  and  about  the  farm,  as  well 
as  among  neighbors  and  acquaintances. 

Bullion's  Latin  Grammar  was  called  into  requi- 
sition, and  mastered  so  well  that  he  can  conju- 
gate Latin  verbs  as  readily  now  as  can  his  sons 
who  are  recent  graduates,  the  one  of  Yale,  and 
the  other  of  Harvard. 

The  thoroughness  with  which  he  did  his  work 
is  a  delightful  feature  of  his  career.  One  is  not 
compelled  to  feel  that  here  is  sham,  and  there 
is  shoddy ;  that  this  is  sheer  pretense,  and  that 
is  bold  assumption,  or  a  threadbare  piece  of 
flimsy  patch-work. 

One  word  expresses  the  history  of  the  man, 
and  that  one  word  is  mastery.  It  fits  the  man. 
Mastery  of  self ;  mastery  of  books ;  mastery  of 
men ;  mastery  of  subjects  and  of  the  situation ; 
mastery  of  principles  and  details.  He  goes  to 
the  top,  every  time  and  everywhere,  sooner  or 
later.  And  it  is  largely  because  he  has  been  to 
the  bottom  first,  and  mastered  the  rudiments, 
one  and  all,  and  then  risen  to  the  heights,  not 
by  a  single  bound,  but  "climbing  the  ladder, 
round  by  round." 

The  amazing  power  of  dispatch  in  the  man, 
as  well  as  thoroughness,  are  only  the  larger  de- 
velopment of  his  youthful  habit  and  character. 


PREPARA  TJON.  43 

It  was  not  so  much  an  infinite  curiosity  as 
an  infinite  love  of  knowledge  that  made  his 
young  mind  drink  so  deeply.  His  was  a  thirsty 
soul,  and  only  by  drinking  deeply  and  long 
could  the  demand  be  met. 

When  ten  years  old,  the  great  campaign  of 
General  Harrison  came  on.  He  was  ready  for 
it,  and  soon  filled  up  with  the  subject.  His  im- 
pulsiveness was  powerful  and  intelligent,  vastly 
beyond  his  years. 

Few  men  were  fresher  or  fuller  of  the  history  of 
the  colonies  and  states  than  this  boy.  He  was, 
in  fact,  a  little  library  on  foot,  filled  with  inci- 
dents, names,  and  dates,  familiar  with  the  ex- 
ploits of  a  thousand  men  and  a  score  of  battles, 
posted  as  to  the  great  enterprises  and  measures 
of  the  day,  by  reason  of  his  distinguished  rela- 
tions and  his  abundant  facilities  and  sources  of 
information.  Perhaps,  too,  no  campaign  was  ever 
more  intense  and  popular,  or  entered  more  into 
the  heart  and  home-life  of  young  and  old,  than 
that  of  "Tippccanoe  and  Tyler  too,"  "Log  Cabin 
and  Free  Cider."  The  great  gatherings,  bar- 
becues, and  speeches,  and  multiplied  discussions 
and  talk  everywhere  in  house  and  street,  in 
office  and  shop,  would  fire  any  heart  that  could 
ignite,  or  rouse  any  one  not  lost  in  lethargy. 
James  was  not  troubled  that  way,  but  was 
always  on  hand ;  he  would  sit  in  the  chimney- 


44  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

corner,  or  out  on  the  great  porch,  while  the 
old-line  Whigs  gathered  to  read,  and  hear,  and 
digest  aloud  the  news. 

The  political  world  had  dawned  upon  him. 
He  was  in  it  for  sure,  and  in  earnest.  His  his- 
torical mind  was  gathering  history  ripe  from 
the  boughs.  It  was  luscious  to  his  taste.  He 
was  somewhere  in  every  procession  that  wended 
its  way  with  music  and  banners  and  mottoes 
innumerable  to  the  place  of  speaking,  and  ab- 
sorbed the  whole  thing. 

Few  could  have  voted  more  intelligently  than 
he  when  election-day  came,  for  few  had  taken 
a  livelier  interest  in  the  whole  campaign,  or 
taken  the  matter  in  more  completely. 

In  three  years  he  was  admitted  to  college,  so 
this  was  no  spurt  of  mental  power,  but  a  steady 
growth,  and  but  marked  an  era  of  intellectual 
unfolding. 

It  was  a  genuine  and  profitable  source  of  most 
practical  education,  for  all  through  the  great  and 
exciting  campaign  he  did  nothing  else  but 
attend  the  monster  demonstrations.  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Elder  and  Joseph  Lawrence,  the  father  of 
Hon.  George  B.  Lawrence,  now  in  Congress, 
were  particularly  powerful  in  impressions  upon 
him. 

Among  the  prominent  speakers  going  through, 
who  stopped  to  address  meetings,  was  Wm.  C. 


PREPARATION  45 


Rivers,  of  Virginia,  who  is  particularly  remem- 
bered by  Mr.  Elaine. 

Hon.  Thomas  M.  T.  McKenna,  father  of  the 
present  Judge  McKenna,  was  a  distinguished  per- 
sonage in  that  portion  of  the  state,  and  took  an 
active  and  influential  part  in  the  contest,  —  a  con- 
test full  of  vim,  as  it  was  the  first  Whig  victory 
on  a  national  scale,  but  as  full  of  good  nature. 
Jackson's  severe  methods  and  measures,  throttling 
the  Nullifiers,  sweeping  out  of  existence  the 
great  United  States  Bank  at  Philadelphia,  with 
its  $150,000,000  of  capital,  and  sundry  other  meas- 
ures, had  filled  the  people  with  consternation,  and 
a  great  change  was  imperatively  demanded. 

Newspapers  were  numerous  in  the  home  of  Mr. 
Elaine,  and  never  escaped  the  vigilant  eye  of  the 
young  and  growing  journalist  and  statesman.  The 
Washington  Reporter  made  a  large  impression  upon 
him,  as  did  also  the  old  Pittsburgh  Gazette,  a 
semi-weekly  paper,  and  the  Tri-weekly  National 
Intelligencer  (Gales  and  Seaton,  editors)  was  of 
the  strongest  and  most  vigorous  character ;  also, 
the  United  States  Gazette  (semi-weekly),  published 
at  Philadelphia,  and  edited  by  Joseph  R.  Chan- 
dler, of  that  city,  and  later  on  Joseph  C.  Neal's 
Saturday  Gazette.  Surely  the  incoming  of  these 
nine  or  ten  papers  into  the  home  every  week,  count- 
ing the  semi-  and  tri-weekly  issues,  would  furnish 
mental  pabulum  of  the  political  sort  in  sufficient 


46  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

quantity  to  satisfy  the  longing  of  any  young 
mind.  No  wonder  his  growth  was  strong  and 
hardy.  We  have  heard  of  an  American  boy  of 
ten  or  twelve,  who  followed  the  Tichborne  Claim 
case  at  its  original  trial  through  the  English 
courts,  but  he  was  a  bright  high-school  boy, 
who  had  every  advantage  of  the  best  graded 
schools,  and  improved  them  steadily,  and  yet  it 
was  greatly  to  his  credit.  Graded  schools  were 
unknown  in  1840,  yet  James,  who  had  finished 
reciting  Plutarch's  Lives  the  year  before  to  his 
Grandfather  Gillespie,  watched  eagerly  for  the 
heavily  loaded  sheets  as  they  came  by  post  or 
steam-boat,  and  posted  himself  on  their  contents. 
Besides  these  numerous  papers,  two  magazines 
were  taken  and  steadily  read  by  the  boy.  They 
were  both  published  in  Philadelphia,  —  Graham  : 
Magazine  and  Godcys  Ladys  Book.  The  one 
was  dinner,  and  the  other  dessert,  to  the  ever 
hungry  mind. 

The  magazines  will  be  remembered  as  among 
the  very  best  the  coantry  afforded  at  that  time. 
But  things  that  do  not  grow  with  the  country's 
growth  are  soon  outgrown  in  the  day  of  steam 
and  lightning. 

The  boy  who  read  those  periodicals  then  has 
not  been  outgrown,  but  he  has  outgrown  much 
that  then  caused  him  co  grow.  They  constituted 
the  chief  part  of  polite  literature,  as  it  was 


PKEPARA  77(9  A:  47 


called,  of  that  form,  and  helped  in  the  cultur- 
ing  process  which  has  resulted  in  harvests  GO 
abundant. 

Can  we  imagine  the  deep  joy  and  satisfaction 
of  that  mere  boy  of  ten  years  at  the  election 
of  General  Harrison,  for  whom  he  had  cheered 
a  hundred  times  ?  And  when  he  came  through  on 
his  way  to  Washington,  to  be  inaugurated  presi- 
dent, he  stayed  over  night  at  Brownsville,  just 
across  the  bridge  over  the  river,  and  James  was 
presented  to  him. 

No  camera  obscura  ever  photographed  a  face 
so  distinctly,  and  no  curious  eyes  ever  took  in 
the  details  of  the  scene  more  perfectly. 

In  addition  to  the  two  lady  teachers  who 
bore  a  part  in  the  early  education  of  James 
Elaine,  there  are  four  men  who  held  a  conspic- 
uous place  as  instructors  in  the  neighboring 
country  school  he  attended,  and  who  are  remem- 
bered with  gratitude  to-day.  These  are  Albert 
G.  Booth,  Joshua  V.  Gibbons,  Solomon  Phillips, 
and  Campbell  Beall.  Mr.  Booth  is  still  living,  and 
has  doubtless  rejoiced  many  times  that  he  did  his 
foundation  work  so  well. 

Mr  Booth  was  one  of  those  patient,  careful, 
devo'.ed  workers  who  do  good,  honest  work. 

Joshua  V.  Gibbons  bore  a  striking  likeness  to 
Abraham  Lincoln.  When  an  old  man,  he  visited 
Mr.  Blaine  in  Congress,  at  the  time  he  was 


48  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

Speaker  of  the  House.  Mr.  Blaine  invited  him  to 
a  seat  beside  him,  in  the  Speaker's  desk.  It  was 
a  worthy  honor  to  a  noble  teacher,  a  moment  of 
thrilling  interest  to  the  great  national  assembly, 
and  attracted  universal  attention. 

Mr.  Gibbons  was  a  man  of  heavy,  strong  mind, 
and  forceful  personality,  and  made  himself  deeply 
and  strongly  felt  in  the  progress  of  young  Elaine's 
mental  growth.  He  did  solid,  accurate,  and  endur- 
ing work. 

Homely  people,  as  a  general  thing,  have  quite  a 
fund  of  native  goodness,  a  sort  of  genial  love  and 
sympathy,  to  atone  for  physical  defects.  Such 
seemed  to  be  the  case  with  the  man  who  so  resem- 
bled Mr.  Lincoln,  and  it  drew  all  hearts  to  him. 
There  was  no  rod  or  ruler  in  school  so  long  as 
he  taught,  and  no  need  of  any.  Such  things 
are  generally  used  in  the  school-room  or  family 
to  supply  deficiencies  of  wisdom,  -tact,  and  gen- 
uine ability.  He  simply  won  their  love  and 
respect,  and  in  was  their  joy  to  give  it.  He 
taught  them,  also,  things  outside  of  the  books, 
and  told  them  plenty  of  good,  wholesome  stories. 
One  day,  in  speaking  about  the  heathen  being 
away  round  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  he 
simply  remarked,  —  "Of  course  you  know  the  world 
is  round,"  but  of  course  they  did  not. 

The  great  eyes  of  James  dilated,  but  he  said 
nothing.  He  could  not  help  thinking  and  taking 


PREPARATION.  49 


a  child's  view  of  it  when  school  was  out.  It 
did  not  hurt  much  to  fall  down  four  or  five 
times  as  he  went  home  that  night,  with  his  eyes 
upturned  toward  the  Heavens,  and  the  great 
thought  revolving  in  his  brain.  The  first  ques- 
tion his  mother  heard  was,  — 

"Is  this  world  round,  anyhow,  and  how  is  it 
round  ? " 

"Yes,  my  child,"  and  the  old  story  of  the 
ship  was  told,  and  he  was  examining  the  pic- 
ture in  the  atlas  when  his  father  came  in,  and 
he  was  sounded  and  agreed  with  the  assured 
fact  of  science;  and  that  night  when  he  went 
up  the  hill  to  grandfather's  house  to  recite  Plu- 
tarch, first  of  all  he  asked, — 

"Grandpa,  did  you  know  this  world  was  round?" 

Grandpa  took  him  up  in  his  great  arms, 
and  told  him  all  about  it,  and  showing  him 
through  the  window  the  great  round  haystack, 
on  whose  top  and  sides  there  was  room  for 
twenty  boys  like  him  without  falling  off,  and  how 
"the  earth  keeps  turning  around  and  around  all 
the  time,  and  a  great  power  holds  people  on, 
just  as  the  roots  hold  the  trees,  so  no  one  can 
fall  off,  —  and  the  fact  is,  it  is  so  big,  and  large, 
and  round,  and  wide,  they  cannot  fall  off,"  Jim- 
my thought  he  saw  it  and  felt  that  it  must  be 
so. 

But  the  next  week  when  he  went  to  Pittsburgh 


SO  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

with  Uncle  Will,  on  the  steamer,  he  was  looking 
all  the  way  for  proof  that  the  world  was  round. 

But  what  puzzled  the  boy  fully  as  much,  was 
the  grave  assertion,  made  without  proof,  that  the 
sun  does  not  move,  when  he  knew  that  it  did 
rise  and  set.  Grandpa,  and  his  parents,  and 
Uncle  Will,  had  to  hold  court  every  day  until 
these  questions  were  all  settled,  the  testimony 
all  in,  and  the  dreams  of  the  young  learner 
reflected  other  scenes. 

His  youth  had  a  great  sorrow.  No  grandson 
was  ever  loved  and  petted  and  cared  for  and 
helped  in  a  thousand  ways  as  his  Grandfather 
Gillespie  had  helped  and  loved  and  cared  for 
him.  Though  a  man  of  affairs,  and  carrying  on 
business  operations  on  a  large  scale  and  in  dis- 
tant parts,  he  loved  his  home  and  all  about 
him,  and  took  special  pride  in  this  boy.  The 
heart  of  James  was  truly  won.  It  was  his  special 
joy  to  be  up  at  grandfather's.  It  was  not  the  big 
red  apple-tree,  nor  the  great  clock  on  the  stairs, 
nor  the  old  rusty  sabre  and  flint-lock  musket,  and 
the  many  relics  of  the  Revolution  that  attracted 
him,  but  grandfather  himself. 

But  grandfather  did  not  get  up,  one  morning, 
and  the  doctor .  was  there,  and  nobody  went  to 
work,  and  there  was  general  alarm.  The  delirium 
of  fever  was  on  him,  but  his  strong  constitution 
resisted  its  ravages  of  inward  fire  for  days  and 


PREPARATION.  51 


weeks.  Now  he  went  there  oftener,  walked  more 
softly,  asked  more  eagerly.  It  all  seemed  so  very 
strange.  There  was  his  great  chair  vacant,  and 
the  hand  that  had  so  often  lain  on  his  head 
seemed  void  of  touch  and  power  now.  Every- 
thing seemed  to  stop.  Books  had  nothing  in 
them  now ;  papers  were  unopened.  The  world 
grew  darker  and  darker,  until  one  black  night, 
amid  a  terrific  storm,  word  came  that  grand- 
father had  just  died,  and  father  and  mother 
would  not  be  home  for  some  time.  The  sun 
seemed  to  set  to  James,  and  he  cried  himself 
to  sleep,  while  the  other  children  bewailed  their 
loss. 

The  morrow  was  bright  and  clear,  but  full  of 
sadness,  and  as  he  looked  upon  the  dear  old 
man  lying  there,  and  felt  his  cold  face  and 
hand, — he  had  never  seen  death  before,  —  he  was 
filled  with  wonder.  The  loss,  indeed,  was  great 
to  him.  But  his  memory  was  an  inspiration,  and 
knowing  what  grandpa  would  have  him  do,  he 
returned  to  his  study  with  renewed  energy  and 
to  feel  more  than  ever  the  worth  and  power  of 
books  the  departed  one  had  prized  so  highly. 

Solomon  Phillips  was  a  Quaker  and  a  farmer, 
but  a  man  of  strong,  powerful  intellect,  honest 
as  the  day  was  long,  painstaking  and  persever- 
ing. Mathematics  were  his  special  delight.  It 
is  a  triumph  of  skill  in  teaching  to  love  a  hard, 


52  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

difficult  science  so  as  to  get  others  to  love  it, 
also.  In  this  he  succeeded.  He  felt  its  worth 
and  power.  He  would  divide  o  by  i  (zero  by 
one),  and  get  infinity,  and  sit  and  gaze  out 
into  its  clear,  white  depths ;  and  reversing  the 
process  he  would  divide  one  by  zero,  and  get 
the  same  result,  and  again  gaze  upon  the  white 
depths  of  a  world  most  beautiful  to  thought,  in 
its  clear,  unclouded,  not  nothingness,  but  some- 
thingness,  and  that  something  infinity.  He 
seemed  almost  to  worship  at  the  shrine  of  this 
kingly  science,  and  would  tell  again  and  again 
how  brilliant  and  beautiful,  and  with  what  de- 
lightful accuracy,  the  labyrinths  of  the  most 
gnarled  and  vexed  problems  opened  to  him. 

This  was  the  man  to  give  Master  James  his 
great  lift  in  preparation  for  college. 

He  followed  promptly  wherever  the  Quaker 
master  led  the  way.  Week  after  week,  and 
month  after  month,  and  term  after  term,  the 
drill  went  on.  There  were  no  bounds  or  limits 
then,  as  in  academies  now,  so  these  were 
passed  as  ships  pass  the  equator,  or  railroad 
trains  pass  state  or  county  lines.  Hard  study 
was  the  work  of  the  hour,  but  hard  study  made 
work  easy,  and  this  was  the  secret  of  all  his 
progress, —  constant  study  brought  constant  victory. 

When  his  Grandfather  Gillespie  died,  his  father 
took  up  the  drill  in  history,  and  Hume's  Eng- 


PREP  A  RA  TION.  5  3 


land  was  gone  over  carefully,  beside  Marshall's 
Life  of  Washington  and  a  volume  of  Macaulay's 
Essays  which  he  got  hold  of  as  a  young  boy. 

His  father  had  a  fine,  large  library,  in  which 
he  delved  by  day  and  night,  and  aroused  his 
son  not  only  by  example  to  constant  applica- 
tion, but  also  by  persistent  pressure.  Here  is 
the  real  key  to  that  early  career  of  youthful 
days  so  thoroughly  utilized,  —  the  father's  intel- 
ligent watchfulness,  and  careful  method,  and  con- 
stant direction.  Only  gauge  the  wheel  to  the 
stream,  and  the  grist  to  the  wheel,  and  there 
will  be  no  danger. 

The  father  determined  his  son  should  be  edu- 
cated to  the  utmost,  and  planned  and  wrought 
accordingly.  No  time  was  lost,  and  no  undue 
haste  made ;  it  was  the  persistency  of  constant 
pressure  that  won  the  day. 

His  boyhood  was  a  happy,  healthy  period. 
He  could  swim  across  to  Brownsville,  discarding 
both  ferry  and  bridge. 

He  went  nutting  with  the  boys,  as  is  their 
wont  when  autumn  days  are  on  the  woods,  and 
Nature,  glorified  with  a  thousand  tints  of  foliage, 
is,  in  the  poet's  sombre  language,  "  in  the  sere 
and  yellow  leaf."  Black  walnuts,  butternuts, 
shellbarks,  hickory  nuts,  and  chestnuts  rewarded 
their  search,  and  gladdened  winter  evenings  with 
their  cheer. 


54  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

There  was  nothing  unnatural  about  young 
Elaine.  He  was  no  prodigy ;  no  marvel,  except 
of  industry  and  constant  training.  He  was  simply 
a  fair  exhibition  of  what  a  good  average  boy, 
well  endowed  with  pluck  and  brains  may  be- 
come in  the  hands  of  good  teachers,  and  under 
the  guidance  of  intelligent  love  and  the  unyield- 
ing pressure  of  a  strong  paternal  will.  What 
his  Eulogy  says  of  Garfield  is  equally  true  of 
himself:  —  "He  came  of  good  stock  on  both 
sides; — none  better,  none  braver,  none  truer. 
There  was  in  it  an  inheritance  of  courage,  of 
manhood,  and  of  imperishable  love  of  liberty,  of 
undying  adherence  to  principle." 

Mr.  Elaine  could  also  speak  of  himself  as 
"fifth  in  descent  from  those  who  would  not  en- 
dure the  oppression  of  the  Stuarts,"  and  had 
fought  under  Prince  Charles  in  the  affair  of 
1715  and  1723. 

So  satisfactory  had  been  his  progress  thus  far 
in  the  school,  that  the  plan  of  his  education  in- 
volved, in  1841,  sending  him  to  Lancaster,  Ohio, 
where  for  one  term  he  was  in  a  school  taught  by 
a  younger  brother  of  Lord  Lyons,  so  long  our 
Minister  from  England,  who  according  to  English 
law  inherited  nothing  from  his  father's  estates,  the 
eldest  brother  receiving  all  ;  and  so  he  made  his 
home  in  the  .New  World,  and  worthily  engaged  in 
training  future  presidents  of  the  great  Republic. 


PREPARATION.  55 


During  his  term  in  Lancaster  his  home  was 
in  the  family  of  Hon.  Thos.  Ewing,  his  mother's 
cousin.  Mr.  Ewing  was  a  United  States  Senator 
when  James  was  born,  and  entered  the  Cabinet  of 
President  Harrison  the  year  before  James's  ap- 
pearance there  as  student,  as  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  and  in  1849  in  Taylor's  Cabinet  as 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  both  of  whom  died 
soon  after  their  inauguration.  In  1849  Governor 
Ford  appointed  him  to  the  Senate  in  the  place 
of  Hon.  Thomas  Corwin,  who  entered  Fillmore's 
Cabinet. 

This  first  and  only  term  of  school  away  from 
home  and  out  of  that  little  country  school-house 
in  preparation  for  college,  under  the  broadening 
influences  of  such  a  home  and  the  inspiration 
of  such  a  teacher,  was  a  long  stride  forward 
toward  the  desired  goal.  It  was  a  great  journey 
in  those  days  for  a  boy  only  eleven  years  old  to 
make,  but  it  added  another  large  chapter  to  his 
already  wide  range  of  knowledge  and  experience. 

The  other  James,  only  a  year  younger,  was 
living  with  his  mother  in  the  woods  of  Orange, 
in  the  same  state  of  Ohio,  improving  the  mod- 
est privileges  of  school,  and  maturing  slowly, 
the  winter  James  G.  Elaine  spent  at  Lancaster 
in  the  spacious  home  of  that  distant  relative 
who  had  enjoyed  all  the  high  honors  of  the 
government,  next  to  the  presidency. 


56  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

These  boys  were  probably  not  over  one  hun- 
dred miles  apart  that  winter,  and  both  at  school, 
— investing  more  largely  in  themselves  than  in 
all  besides,  using  themselves  as  capital,  their 
own  powers  and  endowments.  Surely  no  course 
is  wiser,  as  their  careers  amply  prove.  It  is 
gathering  what  is  outside  that  one  may  get  out 
what  is  inside,  that  is  the  process  of  education; 
not  getting  what  is  outside  regardless  of  what 
is  within,  that  may  be  developed  into  treasures 
of  transcendent  worth,  more  valuable  than  the 
contents  of  forest  and  mine. 

American  history  furnishes  few  examples  of 
the  practical  value  of  cultivated  brain  more 
illustrious  and  potent  than  James  A.  Garfield 
and  James  G.  Elaine,  and  each  the  opposite 
in  temperament  and  opportunity,  but  both 
brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  both  getting  their 
first  start  up  the  hill  of  knowledge  in  a  coun- 
try school. 

Where  are  the  two  boys  who,  forty  or  fifty 
years  from  now,  will  take  the  helm  of  state 
and  guide  the  ponderous  ship  farther  on  her 
tireless  voyage  ? 

No  ever-recurring  problem  for  the  nation's 
wisdom  and  the  nation's  choice,  is  greater  than 
this  one  problem  of  presidents.  It  is  the  na- 
tion's offer  of  greatness  and  renown  to  any  boy 
who,  through  long  years  of  patient  and  persist- 


PREPARA  TION.  5  7 


ent  endeavor,  will  seek  full  and  honorable  prep- 
aration for  the  prize  she  proffers. 

The  brief  stay  at  Lancaster  was  soon  over, 
and  James  once  more  harnessed  into  the  old 
regime  at  home,  with  Campbell  Beall  for  teacher, 
in  the  same  old  house  that  seven  years  before 
he  entered,  a  boy  of  five  years  old. 

In  one  year  he  is  to  pass  his  examination  to 
enter  Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  in  the 
village  of  Washington,  their  shire-town  of  three 
thousand  inhabitants,  twenty-four  miles  away. 
Will  he  be  ready  ?  Much  depends  on  Campbell 
Beall,  much  on  his  father,  and  much  on  him- 
self. 

The  common  English  branches  are  well  wrought 
over,  languages  and  mathematics  have  come  to 
be  a  delight,  and  in  the  old  atmosphere,  and 
the  old  ways,  with  the  old  inspiration  on  him, 
progress  comes  anew.  Lines  of  reading  from  the 
library  are  kept  up ;  the  papers  and  magazines 
are  not  neglected ;  political  matters  are  settled ; 
bad  news  comes  in  from  every  quarter ;  Tyler 
is  at  the  head  of  affairs ;  Ewing  has  sent  in 
his  scathing  letter  of  resignation  as  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  charging  him  with  violating  every 
promise  the  Whig  party  made  to  the  people ; 
but  there  is  no  campaign,  no  voting  to  be  done, 
so  the  thing  is  settled. 

Mr.    Beall    proves    a    good   teacher.     The   Latin 


5 8  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

begun  at  Lancaster  is  renewed  at  home,  and 
so  the  winter  goes  by.  Time  seems  literally 
to  be  alive  and  drifts  like  the  snow  as  it  goes 
rushing  by.  As  Benj.  F.  Taylor  has  it:  — 

"How  the  winters  are  drifting  like   flakes  of  snow, 

And  the  summers,  like   buds  between ; 
And  the  year,   in   its   sheaf,  so  they  come  and   they  go 
On  the  river's  breast,   with   its  ebb   and   its   flow, 

As  it  glides  thro'  the   shadow  and  sheen." 

Father,  mother,  teacher,  Uncle  Will,  all  seem 
convinced  that  James  can  pass  and  enter  college; 
so,  though  only  thirteen  years  of  age,  his  father 
takes  him  in  the  carriage,  and  they  drive  over 
to  Washington. 

It  is  a  great  experience  for  older  heads,  but 
for  one  so  young,  a  veritable  epoch  in  his  his- 
tory. 

It  does  not  take  long  to  convince  the  presi- 
dent that  he  has  drawn  a  prize,  and  he  is  en- 
tered with  about  forty  other  bright,  smart  boys, 
for  the  Freshman  class  in  the  autumn.  After 
three  months  of  vacation,  the  great  work  is  to 
begin  in  real  earnest,  and  the  stuff  those  boys 
arc  made  of  is  to  be  thoroughly  tried  and 
tested. 

There  was  none  of  the  hard,  rough,  and  bitter 
experience  in  his  boyhood  days  and  early  man- 
hood to  which  so  many  of  our  nation's  great 
men  were  subjected.  He  had  none  of  the 


PREPARATION.  59 


long  and  desperate  struggles  with  poverty  and 
adversity  which  hung  on  Mr.  Garfield's  early 
years.  He  knew  nothing,  by  experience,  of  the 
privations  and  hardships  through  which  Mr.  Lin- 
coln came  to  the  high  honors  of  the  nation  and 
the  world,  but  sprang  from  the  second  genera- 
tion after  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  from  a 
long  line  of  ancestors  who  had  been  large  land- 
owners and  gentlemen,  in  the  sense  of  wealth 
and  education,  as  well  as  in  that  finely  culti- 
vated. 


III. 


IN   COLLEGE. 


HE  summer  of  1843  was  bright  with 
the  anticipations  of  college  life  to  the 
eager  boy.  Manhood  seemed  dawning 
upon  him,  in  all  its  glory.  Since  his 
examinations,  the  great  Dr.  McConaughy  had 
grasped  his  hand  so  kindly  and  drawn  him  to  his 
side ;  then  putting  his  arm  around  him  had  said, 
as  he  brushed  the  long,  light  hair  from  his  fore- 
head, — 

"  You  are  a  brave  boy ;  I  am  glad  to  see  you 
and  know  you.  We  shall  have  a  good  place  ready 
for  you  September  third,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to 
see  you  in  my  home." 

The  president  of  Washington  and  Jefferson  Col- 
lege could  appreciate  to  the  full  the  fact  before 
him,  that  this  boy,  without  the  aid  of  high 
school  or  academy,  was  more  than  ready  for  the 
studies  and  honors  of  college. 

The  three  months  of  summer  were  not  lost. 
A  general  review  was  had,  and  particular  atten- 
tion paid  to  toning  him  up  physically.  lie  would 


IN   COLLEGE.  6l 


plunge  into  the  river  and  swim  to  his  heart's 
content  ;  dash  away  on  horse-back  for  a  good 
ride ;  go  over  to  Brownsville,  where  they  all  did 
their  trading,  on  errands,  and  regularly  for  the 
papers  and  magazines;  go  on  excursions  up  and 
down  the  river,  and,  withal,  help  in  the  field, 
especially  at  harvest-time,  and  fill  up  regular 
hours  with  his  best  endeavors  at  study.  So 
that  he  was  not  rusty  and  broken  in  habit, 
when  September  came ;  and  it  came  very  soon. 
His  going  to  college  was  quite  an  event  for  the 
community.  The  neighbors  took  pride  in  it,  for 
James  was  greatly  beloved.  His  exploits  with 
books  were  known  to  all.  Teachers  had  reported 
his  progress  and  rejoiced  in  it. 

It  took  a  long  while  to  say  all  the  good- 
byes, but  early  Monday  morning  he  was  off,  and 
soon  nicely  settled  in  a  good  boarding-place,  and 
when  the  great  bell  rang  out  the  beginning  of 
new  school-year,  James  G.  Elaine  was  in  his  place 
taking  in  the  situation  in  all  its  magnitude  and 
interest. 

There  were  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
scholars  present,  all  boys  and  young  men. 
There  was  a  young  ladies'  school,  or  seminary, 
in  another  part  of  the  town,  but  they  were 
entirely  separated,  and  boys  and  girls  were  not 
mingled  together,  as  now  in  some  of  our  col- 
leges. 


62  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

James  devoted  himself  strictly  to  study,  and 
retired  promptly  at  ten  o'clock  each  night.  He 
found  himself  in  a  large  class  of  bright,  ener- 
getic students,  full  of  pranks,  jokes,  and  fun, 
but  still  boys  of  nerve,  and  pluck,  and  ample 
brain;  boys  who  had  been  well  fitted  for  the 
task  before  them,  many  of  them  in  the  prepar- 
atory department  of  the  institution  itself,  so  that 
they  were  familiar  with  the  place,  and  had 
known  each  other  for  several  years.  They  were 
not  long  in  rinding  that  the  new  boy,  who  came 
from  down  near  the  big  bridge,  knew  about 
Greek  and  Latin  grammars,  and  could  read  with- 
out difficulty  when  his  turn  came. 

He  did  not  have  the  town-boy  sort  of  look 
that  many  of  the  others  had,  but  his  good 
manners,  and  kind,  easy  ways  made  them  feel 
and  acknowledge  that  he  was  a  little  gentleman, 
anyhow.  His  mother  had  never  neglected  her 
boy,  and  his  father,  being  a  professional  man, 
knew  the  joy  and  worth  of  being  a  gentleman  ; 
and,  if  they  had  done  but  little,  his  grandfather 
had  planted  seeds  of  kindness  in  him  enough 
to  produce  a  bountiful  harvest.  He  moulded 
and  shaped  his  ways  and  manners  to  the  clear, 
strong  model  that  was  never  wanting  in  the 
old  Scottish  clans  and  seems  to  remain  in  the 
very  blood  and  very  atmosphere  of  life  and 
character. 


IN   COLLEGE. 


There  was  nothing  brusque  or  acrid  about 
him.  He  took  on  and  wore  the  air  and  atmos- 
phere of  the  enlightened,  quiet,  and  cultured 
home-life  in  which  he  was  brought  up.  He  was 
modest  and  retiring,  there  for  a  purpose,  and 
devoted  to  its  accomplishment.  It  was  not  hard, 
distasteful  work  to  him,  but  a  loved  and  longed- 
for  opportunity.  He  had  no  ills  or  aches  to 
nurse,  or  trouble  him.  He  felt  greatly  the 
absence  from  home.  But  he  was  not  off  in 
Ohio  now,  only  four  and  twenty  miles  from  old, 
familiar  Indian  Hill  farm.  But  his  books  ab- 
sorbed him ;  study  roused  and  cheered  him ; 
competition  electrified  and  nerved  him.  Nothing 
would  sting  him  like  missing  a  question,  or  any 
petty  failure.  But  these  were  few  and  simple. 
He  took  first  rank  at  once,  and  held  it  steadily 
to  the  end. 

His  life  at  college  was  a  comparatively  quiet 
one.  He  never  appeared  upon  a  public  exhibi- 
tion, although  he  entered  the  societies,  and  took 
part  in  debates,  read  essays,  contributed  to  the 
college  paper,  and  delivered  orations. 

He  was  rather  retiring  in  his  disposition,  and 
sought  rather  to  be  a  worshiper  at  the  shrine  of 
knowledge,  than  as  is  so  often  the  case,  be  worshiped. 

The  quiet  reticence  and  reserve  referred  to 
may  strike  some,  owing  to  their  knowledge  of 
his  clashing  brilliancy  of  later  years.  But  as  a 


64  FINE  TO  POTOMAC. 


surprise,  the  modest,  unobtrusive  habit  was  hap- 
pily conducive  to  study,  and  served  as  a  guard 
against  many  of  the  intrusions  of  a  student's 
life.  While  kind  and  affable,  he  was  not  of  the 
hail-fellow-well-met  order.  But  he  was  not  a  re- 
cluse,—  no  monk  with  monkish  ways.  He  was 
a  student,  through  and  through,  and  he  loved 
study ;  it  satisfied  him  and  served  his  aspira- 
tions. 

He  was  a  boy  no  longer ;  he  had  come  to 
himself,  to  self-consciousness ;  a  consciousness  of 
his  powers,  to  a  recognition  of  his  own  personal 
identity.  Manhood  was  fast  coming  on  him  ;  he 
was  out  of  childhood.  It  was  a  new  world  in 
thought  to  him,  and  life  at  college  a  new  world 
in  fact.  He  was  respected  and  honored  and 
trusted  now,  in  a  sense  different  from  being 
loved  and  petted  and  cared  for  at  home.  There 
was  not  so  much  praise,  but  more  power  in  it. 
He  was  on  his  own  responsibility  now,  and  must 
rely  largely  upon  his  own  resources.  Manliness 
was  the  needful  quality.  It  was  everywhere  in 
demand.  At  study  it  was  the  prelude  to  vic- 
tory ;  in  the  recitation-room  it  \vas  the  well- 
poised  harbinger  of  success,  and  in  association 
with  others  it  always  won.  This  was  just  the 
quality  that  those  who  loved  him  had  sought  to 
develop  in  him,  and  they  had  not  failed.  He 
would  take  hold  of  the  hardest  task  with  a  mar- 


IN   COLLEGE.  65 


vclous  energy  of  resolve.  His  will  was  a  strong 
feature  of  his  personality.  It  was  an  element  of 
power  that  served  him  now.  He  had  reached  a 
long-sought  height  and  was  pushing  on. 

Good  teachers  are  not  long  in  rinding  good 
scholars  in  a  new  class.  They  look  for  them 
as  a  miner  watches  for  gold,  and  prize  them  as 
highly.  There  was  such  a  teacher  in  the  faculty 
at  Washington,  and  to  Professor  Murray  Mr. 
Elaine  feels  a  deep  and  lasting  debt  of  grati- 
tude. 

Like  all  good  teachers,  he  felt  the  dignity  and 
power  of  his  profession.  He  could  help  the 
weakest  into  strength,  and  put  a  window  in  the 
darkest  mind  by  his  varied  questionings,  illustra- 
tions, suggestions,  and  explanations.  He  was 
quiet,  but  forceful,  genial,  but  severe  if  laziness 
or  wanton  disregard  showed  its  hydra  head.  In 
his  own  peculiar  way,  by  virtue  of  an  immense 
personality,  he  would  light  up  and  enthuse  a 
whole  class-room. 

The  Professor  found  in  young  Elaine  a  pupil 
to  his  mind,  and  James  found  in  the  teacher 
just  the  man  of  his  heart.  He  learned  to  love 
him.  A  genuine  teacher  can  incarnate  himself 
in  his  pupils,  just  as  Napoleon  seemed  to  repro- 
duce himself  in  his  armies,  firing  them  with  his 
spirit,  arming  them  with  his  purpose,  so  that 
they  would  move  with  the  solid  impetuosity  of 


66  PIXE    TO    POTOMAC. 


his  own  daring,  scaling  the  Alps,  triumphing  at 
Austerlitz,  until  they  came  to  look,  and  breathe, 
and  act  him  out  long  after  ;  but  Professor  Mur- 
ray was  training  men  and  citizens  of  the  great 
Republic.  His  was  a  solemn,  sacred  work,  of 
grave  responsibility.  It  was  worthy  of  life  and 
manhood's  strength  and  prime,  as  the  great 
ideals  which  burned  in  the  heat  of  his  glowing 
life  fully  assured  him. 

To  sit  in  such  a  light,  to  dwell  in  such  a 
presence,  was  to  be  lead  over  the  fields  of  con- 
quest by  the  hand  of  Alexander  after  he  had 
conquered  the  world.  No  wonder  this  man  is 
loved  and  honored,  and  his  memory  cherished 
sacredly. 

Outside  of  the  regular  college  course,  Mr. 
Elaine  read  through  the  New  Testament  in 
Greek  with  him  three  times.  This  was  a  Sun- 
day Bible-class  exercise,  and  shows  how  deeply 
his  mind  became  imbued  with  the  truths  of  the 
Christian  religion,  which  have  since  made  him 
a  devoted  member  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  Augusta,  Maine. 

James  was  no  book-worm  in  college.  He  was 
a  severe,  close  student.  This  was  his  chief 
business  there.  He  was  on  his  honor,  and  loved 
his  work,  and  so  did  it  well. 

Prof.  E.  13.  Necly,  superintendent  of  schools  in 
St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  an  old  class-mate,  says  of  him:  — 


IN   COLLEGE.  67 


"James  G.  Elaine  was  always  looked  up  to  as 
a  leader,  by  his  class-mates,  being  universally 
recognized  as  such.  While  a  close  student,  he 
was  genial  in  his  habits,  and  decidedly  popular 
with  all,  being  the  very  reverse  of  what  is 
known  as  a  book-worm." 

This  is  just  what  those  who  know  him  now 
have  reason  to  expect  was  the  case,  and  yet  it  is 
very  remarkable,  from  the  fact  that  he  was  sev- 
enteen and  a  half  years  of  age  when  he  gradu- 
ated, and  in  a  large  class  of  thirty-three,  seven- 
teen of  whom  entered  the  Christian  ministry. 

At  the  end  he  was  one  of  those  to  divide 
the  honors  of  his  class,  and  here  again  we  are  in- 
debted to  Professor  Neely. 

"Third,  by  reference  to  my  class-book  you 
will  see  that  at  the  time  he  graduated  Mr. 
Blaine  was  given  the  second  of  the  three  hon- 
ors of  the  occasion.  The  first,  the  Latin  salu- 
tatory, was  delivered  by  Jno.  C.  Hervey,  of 
Virginia  ;  the  second,  English  salutatory,  by 
James  G.  Blaine,  of  Pennsylvania  ;  and  the 
third,  Greek  salutatory,  by  T.  W.  Porter,  of 
Pennsylvania." 

When  Mr.  Blaine  graduated  he  delivered  a 
masterly  oration,  most  of  which  he  can  speak 
to-day,  after  a  lapse  of  thirty-seven  years.  The 
subject  was,  —  "The  Rights  and  Duties  of  Amer- 
ican Citizens."  How  fitting:  such  a  theme  for 


68  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

such    a    man,    and    how    admirably    it    shows    his 
trend   of   mind ! 

During  his  course  at  college,  in  1844,  occurred 
the  great  campaign  of  Henry  Clay.  It  had 
been  Mr.  Elaine's  privilege  to  meet  Mr.  Clay, 
and  he  took  the  liveliest  interest  conceivable  in 
the  contest.  He  was  a  very  positive  man,  de- 
cided and  aggressive,  especially  in  his  political 
opinions.  Of  course  the  great  question  of  the 
day  was  debated  in  the  college-society,  and  Mr. 
Elaine  was  on  hand.  He  usually  was  on  such 
occasions,  and  had  a  large  part  in  the  discus- 
sion. He  was  so  well  read  in  the  history  of 
the  country  and  of  parties,  had  entered  so  into 
the  merits  of  the  campaign  of  General  Harri- 
son, four  years  before,  that  with  all  his  growth 
and  acquisitions  since,  he  was  well  qualified  to 
take  his  position  and  maintain  it  against  all  who 
chose  a  tilt  with  him.  His  was  the  force  of 
accumulated  strength,  the  weight  of  reserved 
power.  He  was  so  full  of  his  subject,  that  it 
seemed  to  require  no  effort  to  bring  out  the 
facts  and  figures  and  formulate  the  arguments 
that  demolished  his  antagonist.  He  joined,  as  if 
by  instinct,  the  fresh  young  Whig  party  of  pro- 
gress and  of  power.  Clay  was  their  idol,  and 
this  was  the  hour  of  his  destiny.  No  young 
life  was  ever  given  with  more  ardent  devotion 
to  any  cause  than  did  the  young  collegian  give 


IN   COLLEGE.  69 


heart  and  thought,  sympathy  and  endeavor,  to 
the  star  so  surely  rising.  He  lead  in  the  fight 
among  the  boys,  and  won  the  day;  and,  wher- 
ever voice  or  influence  could  reach,  he  energized 
others  with  the  wholesome  truths  of  political 
equity,  justice,  and  common  sense  that  filled  his 
soul.  No  wonder  his  theme  on  Commencement  day 
was  so  near  the  nation's  life.  It  was  near  his  heart, 
and  so  his  first  great  triumph  was  celebrated  by 
considering,  back  in  those  times  of  the  slave 
power,  Rights  and  Duties  of  American  CitizcnsJiip. 

Washington  and  Jefferson  College  was  famous 
in  those  days  for  sending  forth  great  men.  It 
was  a  great  institution  of  the  times.  Indeed, 
it  was  two  colleges  united.  Jefferson  College 
had  been  located  at  Connersburgh,  some  four 
miles  distant,  and  was  merged  into  Washington 
College  at  Washington. 

This  gave  increased  advantage  in  picked  teach- 
ers, fuller  endowment,  larger*  classes,  and  better 
appliances.  To  go  to  such  an  institution,  a 
mere  boy  and  a  total  stranger,  and  take  the 
lead  and  keep  it  through  his  entire  course, 
argues  for  the  mental  power  and  furnishing  of 
the  boy,  as  well  as  his  other  qualities  of  heart 
and  character.  He  led  his  class  in  mathematics, 
as  a  fellow-student  testifies,  and  thus  showed 
the  unabated  influence  of  his  old  Quaker  teacher, 
Solomon  Phillips. 


70  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

The  college -library  was  a  great  resort  for 
him,  a  sort  of  second  home.  Here  he  could 
delve,  with  no  thought  of  time  or  weariness.  It 
was  his  delight  and  joy.  Books  seemed  a  part 
of  him;  he  was  seldom  without  them,  and  yet 
he  utilized,  by  good  mental  digestion  and  strong 
powers  of  assimilation,  the  substance  of  what 
he  read.  He  ranged  over  a  wide  field,  princi- 
pally of  English  works  then,  as  works  of  Amer- 
ican authors  were  comparatively  few.  Indeed,  it 
is  only  within  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  the 
sneer,  "Who  reads  an  American  book?"  has 
ceased  to  sting.  Vacation  was  his  busiest  time 
with  books.  He  was  never  empty,  but  always 
full. 

But  all  his  study  and  meditation ;  all  his  read- 
ing, thought,  and  observation  ;  all  he  had  gleaned, 
gathered,  and  garnered  from  books,  teachings,  and 
associations ;  all  that  had  come  to  him  from 
newspapers,  periodicals,  travel,  great  men,  found 
their  fitting  and  powerful  culmination  in  the 
great  oration  he  delivered  on  Commencement  day, 
in  June,  1847.  It  was  sound  and  convincing, 
patriotic  and  manly,  and  would  do  credit  to  any 
graduate  to-day,  though  twice  his  age.  It  was 
the  key-note  of  a  life-long  career,  which  has 
ever  since  been  urging  in  a  most  potent  way 
the  rights,  and  discharging  the  duties  of  Amer- 
ican citizenship. 


IV. 


TEACHING   IN   KENTUCKY. 


HE  world  opened  grandly  to  young 
Elaine  at  his  graduation.  His  college 
course  had  been  a  triumph,  his  recep- 
tion home  an  ovation.  The  heart  of 
the  great  class  beat  with  his ;  their  hopes  were 
justly  high,  and  high  especially  for  him  whom 
they  had  learned  to  love  and  honor.  His  power 
to  make  friends  and  hold  them  was  remarkable. 
Those  who  knew  him  best  loved  him  most. 

One  who  knew  so  much  of  the  world  must 
see  some  of  it,  and  as  yet  he  had  traveled  but 
little;  but  a  good  rest  is  taken,  and  the  summer 
spent  at  home.  Old,  familiar  scenes  are  viewed 
through  larger  eyes.  Books  are  reviewed,  fresh 
volumes  read ;  the  news,  home  and  foreign,  is 
seized  with  a  new  avidity  by  one  whose  business 
of  life  is  just  beginning.  As  yet,  though,  he 
has  not  been  earning  money,  he  has  gained 
something  he  can  never  lose,  and  that  can  never 
be  stolen  or  borrowed  from  him.  It  is  his  for- 
tune ;  his  father's  wise  plan  has  been  carried  out, 


72  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

and  he  is  ready  for  business  now.  A  call  comes 
for  a  teacher  in  Blue  Licks  Military  Academy, 
at  Georgetown,  Kentucky,  and  he  is  selected 
and  recommended  by  the  faculty  for  the  place. 
He  has  never  taught  an  hour.  Shall  he  go  ? 
He  knows  enough,  has  good  command  of  him- 
self, and  from  careful  observation,  a  fair  knowl- 
edge of  methods.  He  believes  he  can  do  it,  for, 
as  yet,  he  has  never  failed,  and  has  always  been 
able  to  make  himself  understood,  whether  in 
private  conversations  and  discussions,  or  society 
debates  in  college. 

The  question  is  decided.  He  is  to  receive  a 
salary  of  five  hundred  dollars  a  year,  while  boys 
of  his  age  are  working  for  eight  and  ten  dollars 
a  month.  It  is  a  man's  work.  He  is  to  start 
September  first,  and  he  will  not  be  eighteen 
years  old  until  January.  There  is  not  a  hair 
on  his  face.  But  there  is  a  man  within,  strong 
in  manly  powers,  and  rich  in  stores  of  knowl- 
edge. 

He  had  a  fine  address,  clear  and  strong  of 
speech,  large  lustrous  eyes,  fine  conversational 
powers,  and  in  all  respects,  of  good  appearance. 
His  youth  was  in  his  favor,  since  it  made  his 
accomplishments  all  the  more  marvelous.  He  had 
been  well  written  up  and  highly  recommended 
before  going,  so  that  anticipations  were  high  on 
both  sides. 


TEACHING   IN  KENTUCKY.  73 

It  was  harder  than  ever  to  say  go'od-bye,  es- 
pecially for  mother  and  son,  but  it  must  be 
done.  They  recalled  the  time  when  their  ances- 
tors left  native  land  across  the  seas,  to  come  to 
this  country,  and  were  reconciled.  His  father 
and  Uncle  Will  tried  the  name  of  Professor  on 
him  before  he  started,  and  it  seemed  to  fit, 
though  at  first  it  startled  him. "  It  weighed  him 
down  with  the  gravity  of  his  position,  and  drove 
the  last  remnant  of  pedantry  from  him.  He  de- 
clined a  tall  hat  and  discarded  a  cane.  He  was 
simple,  genuine,  and  true,  and  went  for  just 
what  he  was  worth. 

The  trip  to  Pittsburgh,  and  down  the  river  to 
Louisville,  and  out  to  Georgetown  by  public  con- 
veyance, was  full  of  interest  to  him,  because  it 
was  his  country  he  was  seeing.  A  steam-boat 
explosion,  and  talk  of  an  insurrection  among  the 
negroes,  made  him  a  little  nervous.  But  the 
fact  that  he  was  going  to  the  state  of  Henry 
Clay,  gave  him  a  sort  of  home  feeling,  and 
made  him  feel  they  were  his  sort  of  folks,  and 
then  some  of  the  students  were  from  down  that 
way,  and  he  had  met  several  of  the  public  men 
from  Kentucky,  besides  Mr.  Clay. 

There  happened  to  be  an  old  Jacksonian  Demo- 
crat in  the  stage-coach,  who  had  been  attracted 
to  the  young  professor  by  his  manly  bearing, 
his  quiet  urbanity,  which  cost  him  no  effort, 


74  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

and  especially  by  his  politeness  in  giving  a 
lady  from  the  Blue  Grass  region  a  back  seat, 
insisting  "that  she  take  it"  in  a  most  gentle- 
manly manner,  while  he  took  a  far  less  comfort- 
able one,  riding  backward.  This  brought  him 
face  to  face  with  a  full-blooded  Kentuckian  of 
the  old  type. 

"You  are  a  native  of  the  soil,  I  take  it, 
sir  ? " 

"Yes,    sir,   but   not   of   this   state." 

"Of  what   state,    may   I   ask?" 

"The  Keystone  state  of  Pennsylvania,  sir," 
with  a  suppressed  air  of  pride. 

"Indeed,   then   you   are   from   the   North?" 

"Yes,    sir." 

"Clay  has  a  good  many  friends  up  there,  has 
he  not?" 

"Yes,    sir,    a   great    many." 

"Well,    it   was   an   awful   whipping   he   got." 

"Yes,   and   he   did   not   deserve   it." 

"Didn't   deserve   it?" 

"  I  think  not ;  he  is  a  royal  man,  and  would 
have  made  an  excellent  president,  in  my  judg- 
ment." 

"  If  he  had  not  been  a  Whig ;  that  spoils 
him.  Strange  how  much  good  and  smartness  a 
man  may  have,  and  not  have  good  sense." 

"But  he  has  good  sense,  in  my  judgment,  if 
you  will  pardon  me." 


TEACHING   IN  KENTUCKY.  75 

"Young  man,  slavery  is  a  Divine  institution. 
That  is  fixed ;  the  Bible  decides  that ! " 

These   words   were   said   with   great   emphasis. 

"Then  what  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence ;  does  that  conflict  with  the  Bible  ?  Is 
that  a  Divine  institution?" 

The   man   was   puzzled,   but   finally   said, — 

"Well,  the  Bible  don't  have  to  agree  with 
everything." 

James  had  just  finished  the  study  of  the  Con- 
stitution, of  Political  Economy,  of  Moral  Science, 
was  thoroughly  posted  regarding  political  parties 
and  all  the  great  questions  of  the  day,  and 
slavery  had  a  black,  villanous  look  to*  him. 
Some  of  the  sights  he  had  witnessed  had  roused 
his  blood,  and  taking  it  altogether  he  was  ready 
for  quite  a.  campaign. 

He  had  never  been  placed  under  any  particu- 
lar restraint,  but  had  talked  right  out  the  best 
he  knew  how,  and  so  followed  the  person  up 
who  encountered  him  pretty  closely,  until  the 
questions  were  all  answered  to  their  satisfaction, 
and  a  few  difficult  ones  asked  to  his  satisfac- 
tion. But  when  the  identical  lady  whom  he  had 
favored  with  a  seat,  asked  right  out, —  "Would 
you  marry  a  nigger?"  he  seemed  lifted  from  his 
moorings  all  at  once,  and  replied  almost  in- 
stahtly,  without  inspecting  his  words, — "No, 
ma'am,  would  you?"  A  fair  amount  of  indigna- 


76  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


tion  was  in  the  air,  without  any  perceptible  de- 
lay, and  sundry  epithets,  so  common  in  those 
days,  such  as  "nigger-lover,"  "  nigger-stealer," 
and  "black  abolitionist,"  found  expression.  James' 
only  apology  was,  — 

"  Madame,  I  only  asked  you  the  veiy  respect- 
ful and  lady-like  question  you  had  so  kindly 
asked  me." 

"I  admire  your  courage  and  independence  of 
character,  sir,"  said  a  young  lady  opposite,  with 
some  warmth,  who,  though  rather  large,  and 
with  a  look  of  rare  intelligence,  and  a  voice  of 
peculiar  sweetness  and  volume,  was  evidently 
still  in*  her  teens, — possibly  sweet  sixteen,  in  its 
fullest  glory. 

The  driver  stopped  at  the  foot  of  a  big  hill, 
and,  as  was  their  privilege,  several  •  passengers 
got  out  to  walk  up  the  hill.  James  was  among 
their  number.  It  was  a  real  relief  to  be  in  the 
open  air. 

"Give  us  your  hand,  young  man,"  said  a  fel- 
low-passenger, as  the  stage  passed  on*.  "  I  like 
yer  pluck;  brains  is  good,  but  it  ain't  much 
without  pluck.  I  tell  you,  you  sot  the  truth 
right  home  that  time.  You  are  a  right  smart 
kind  of  a  boy.  Do  they  raise  meny  sich  up  in 
the  old  Keystone  or  Yellowstone  —  What  did 
you  call  it  ?  I  reckon  that  that  Missis  was 
right  down  put  out  when  you  axed  her  what 


TEACHING    IN  KENTUCKY.  77 

she  axed  you.  But,  then,  they  do  say  a  heap 
of  jokers  don't  like  to  be  joked.  But  my  rule 
is,  tit-for-tat.  I  tell  you,  a  little  nip  and  tuck 
now  and  then  is  a  mighty  edicating  sort  of 
thing,  and  I  guess  you've  been  educated, 
haven't  you?" 

James  shook  hands  and  followed  up  the  con- 
versation until  the  top  of  the  hill  was  reached. 

All   had   a   good   dinner,    and    felt   better. 

It  was  a  simple  act  of  courtesy  which  the 
occasion  demanded,  to  help  the  young  lady  of 
sixteen,  more  or  less,  from  the  coach,  as  she  was 
ready  to  step  out  after  James  had  alighted,  and 
as  she  thanked  him  very  graciously  he  could  but 
offer  to  escort  her  to  the  table,  and  with  rare 
good  grace  she  assented. 

James  had  done  such  things  before,  and  done 
them  very  handsomely,  in  connection  with  their 
college-exhibitions  and  socials  in  the  town,  to 
which  he  occasionally  went. 

Kentucky  is  a  great  country  for  quail,  and  the 
colored  cook  had  broiled  and  buttered  them  that 
day  exactly  to  the  taste  of  an  epicurean.  They 
were  simply  delicious,  and  just  in  season.  They 
enjoyed  them  hugely,  and  chatted  with  the  cheer 
and  gusto  of  old  friends,  mostly  speaking  of  the 
glories  of  the  North,  in  which  they  perfectly 
agreed,  and  upon  their  homes.  "  One  touch  of 
nature  makes  the  whole  world  kin  "  may  be  true 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


or  not,  but  that  little  touch  of  nature  in  the 
stage-coach  had  made  them  kin. 

Another  fresh  brace  of  the  savory  quails  had 
just  been  placed  before  them,  when  the  coach 
dashed  around  to  the  door,  and  the  lusty  voice  of 
the  driver  crying  "All  aboard!"  resounded  through 
the  hall  and  open  door  of  the  dining-room. 

There  was  no  alternative,  so  without  delay 
they  resumed  their  old  seats,  and  conversation 
was  discontinued. 

The  political  status  of  the  company  had  been 
pretty  well  defined,  and  James  had  made  two 
friends,  the  names  of  neither  of  whom,  however, 
he  had  learned. 

There  was  a  lull  in  the  conversation,  and 
James  was  going  over  his  scheme  of  study  and 
recitations  for  the  twentieth  time,  when  at  three 
o'clock  Georgetown  was  announced.  He  bade 
his  two  friends  goodbye,  and  expressed  the  hope 
that  all  would  enjoy  their  journey. 

The  stage  had  but  just  started,  when  the  old 
Jacksonian  said,  "I  dunno  but  the  boy  is  more 
n'r  half  right,  anyhow."  The  young  lady  knew 
he  was,  but  the  lady  number  one  did  not  know 
about  it. 

"  Well,  it  's  mighty  sartin  the  Declaration  is 
agin'  Slavery,  and  the  Bible  can't  stand  up  for 
both,  nohow,"  said  the  man  who  walked  up 
the  hill  with  James. 


TEACHING    IN  KENTUCKY.  79 

James  was  now  in  his  lodgings,  and  liked  the 
looks  of  things.  He  had  just  brushed  and 
dusted  up  when  he  heard  the  tap  of  a  drum, 
and  looking  out  he  saw  a  line  of  cadets  form- 
ing, and  ascertaining  that  that  was  the  academy, 
he  walked  over  and  saw  one  hundred  and  fifty 
fine-looking  young  men,  handsomely  uniformed, 
each  with  a  musket,  marching  to  music  of  fife 
and  drum.  They  stood  erect  and  stepped  to- 
gether. It  was  a  fine  sight  to  him.  They  went 
through  the  evolutions,  marked  time1,  marched, 
and  countermarched. 

The  entire  faculty  were  present.  He  ventured 
in,  and  soon  heard  a  messenger  announce  that 
Mr.  Elaine  had  come,  but  he  had  missed  him. 
He  simply  said,  "I  am  Mr.  Elaine,"  and  the 
Principal  grasped  his  hand  with  evident  delight, 
placing  his  left  hand  upon  his  shoulder  and 
saying,  "I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Elaine," 
and  introduced  him  to  the  other  teachers,  and 
then  turning  to  the  students  he  said,  "  Battalion, 
permit  me  to  present  to  you  our  new  professor, 
James  G.  Elaine,  of  Washington,  Pennsylvania ; 
you  will  please  receive  him  at  "present  arms"; 
instinctively  Mr.  Elaine  removed  his  hat  in  rec- 
ognition of  his  reception.  "  Perhaps  you  have  a 
word  for  the  boys,"  said  the  Principal,  and  the 
battalion  was  brought  to  a  "shoulder  arms,"  an 
"order  arms,"  and  then  to  a  "parade  rest," 


8O  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

when,  stepping  forward,  he  said,  —  "I  am  glad 
to  see  you,  gentlemen,  in  such  fine  form  and 
spirit,  and  so  accomplished  at  your  drill,  for  I 
watched  you  several  moments  yonder,  unobserved. 
We  had  nothing  of  this  kind  where  I  studied, 
but  I  think  it  must  be  a  fine  thing  for  you. 
I  hope  you  will  never  be  needed  in  your  coun- 
try's service,  though  it  does  begin  to  look  a 
little  as  though  there  might  possibly  be  war 
with  Mexico.  But  as  I  have  been  nearly  two 
weeks  on  my  journey,  and  as  we  shall  have 
ample  time  to  get  acquainted,  I  will  not  detain 
you  longer." 

Three  cheers  were  proposed  for  Professor  Elaine, 
and  given  with  a  will.  The  Professor  was  the 
lion  of  the  hour. 

The  Principal  said,  "  You  will  take  tea  with 
me,  Professor  Elaine  ? " 

"With   great   pleasure." 

And  to  the  other  professors,  "You  will  please 
take  tea  with  Professor  Elaine,  at  my  house." 

The  hour  spent  in  the  study  with  the  Princi- 
pal was  not  without  a  purpose  on  his  part.  It  con- 
firmed all  that  Doctor  McConaughy  and  Professor 
Murray  had  written  about  him,  and  afforded  cer- 
tain knowledge  that  they  had  drawn  a  prize. 
By  an  adroit,  yet  careless  method  of  conversa- 
tion, introducing  a  general  discussion  of  the  text- 
books of  the  day,  with  their  general  contents, 


TEACHING    IN  KENTUCKY.  Si 

their  defects  and  excellences,  the  great  knowl- 
edge of  the  new  man  was  made  evident,  and  it 
was  not  restricted  to  the  mere  curriculum  of 
studies. 

"Surely,"  thought  he,  "I  am  in  for  it  now  in 
earnest,"  as  he  was  left  alone  for  a  few  moments 
while  his  host  went  down  to  receive  his  other 
guests. 

There  was  not  a  soul  within  three  hundred 
miles  who  would  think  of  calling  him  Jim  Elaine, 
or  Jimmy,  nor  dare  to,  if  by  some  strange,  un- 
natural process  it  did  occur  to  him. 

He  was  treated,  respected,  and  honored  as  a 
man  and  a  scholar.  The  world  had  opened  to 
him,  and  he  had  entered.  It  was  well  there 
was  no  show  or  shoddy  about  him,  and  he  knew 
it.  The  stamp  of  the  mint  was  on  him,  and 
he  passed  at  par,  with  the  ring  of  honest  coin. 

There  is  a  power  in  some  men  to  meet  any 
emergency  when  it  is  fairly  on  them.  They  rise 
with  the  tide,  become  a  part  of  the  occasion, 
and  adjust  themselves  to  it  with  a  quiet  dignity. 
He  had  this  power,  and  felt  it  on  him  now. 
As  he  was  going  down-stairs  to  be  presented 
to  the  ladies,  he  said  to  himself,  as  he  threw 
back  his  hair  with  a  quick,  decided  toss,  "No 
politics  to-night " ;  and  this  prolific  subject  was 
mentally  abjured. 

They   received   him    as    an    equal,    spoke   of    the 


82  PJNE    TO    POTOMAC* 


favorable  opinion  they  all  entertained  of  him, 
and  the  joy  his  coming  had  given  them. 

He  thanked  them,  and  spoke  of  the  pleasure 
he  experienced  in  coming  to  a  state  so  great  in 
the  nation's  life. 

It  was  a  matter  of  conscience  with  Professor 
Elaine  to  know  where  he  was  going  and  where 
he  had  been,  so  that  he  had  made  his  own 
state  as  well  as  that  of  Ohio  where  he  had 
spent  the  term  at  school,  and  the  state  of 
Kentucky,  a  special  study  ;  so  that  when  they  were 
fairly  seated  at  table,  and  after  repeated  ques- 
tions had  been  asked,  he  fairly  eclipsed  all  his 
former  attempts  at  conversation,  by  the  brilliancy 
of  his  historical  allusions,  extending  far  back 
into  colonial  days. 

He  had  learned,  by  his  early  drill  in  Plu- 
tarch's Lives,  where  a  brief  biography  of  a 
Roman  and  a  Greek  are  alternately  given,  and 
then  comparisons  and  contrasts  between  them  in- 
troduced, so  to  deal  with  states  and  individuals. 
He  had  thus  dealt  with  political  parties  and 
their  leaders,  but  not  to-night.  This  method 
helped  him  greatly. 

Events,  dates,  names,  places,  fell  into  line  and 
were  marshalled  like  troops  just  when  the  drum 
tapped,  or  the  word  of  command  was  given. 
They  all  seemed  amazed  ;  an  hour  passed  by  ; 
material  sufficient  for  a  half-dozen  Fourth  of 


TEACHING    IN   KENTUCKY.  83 

July  orations  had  been  given.  A  veritable  pan- 
orama of  those  three  great  states,  three  of  the 
greatest  in  the  Union,  seemed  to  march  before 
them  in  sections  and  decades. 

The  members  of  the  faculty,  who  understood 
very  well  what  it  was  to  know  and  to  talk, 
had  some  very  complimentary  things  to  say. 
He  had  won  them  all,  so  unobtrusive  was  he, 
and  entirely  at  his  ease,  withal. 

Monday  morning,  at  nine  o'clock,  twenty-eight 
young  men  marched  into  the  school-room  and 
faced  him  as  their  teacher,  twelve  of  them 
older  than  himself.  They  had  taken  his  measure 
when  on  drill,  and  felt  honored  to  call  him 
teacher. 

They  were  from  the  best  families  of  the 
state,  were  clad  in  bright  uniforms,  and  sat 
erect.  Mathematics  was  the  first  recitation. 
He  looked  around  almost  instinctively  for  Solo- 
mon Phillips  or  Professor  Murray,  but  they  were 
not  there.  He  was  on  the  platform,  not  in  the 
seats.  He  must  lead  off.  A  list  of  names  had 
been  furnished  him.  As  he  read  them  over, 
calling  each  name  by  itself,  the  scholar  came 
forward  and  received  a  hearty  shake  of  the 
hand,  and  was  photographed  at  once  in  the 
mind  of  the  teacher.  This  was  the  work  of  but 
a  few  minutes,  yet  it  recognized  each  one  of 
them,  and  made  them  feel  acquainted.  No  othei 


84  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

teacher  had  done  this,  but  it  was  something 
they  could  tell  of,  write  home  about,  and  made 
them  say,  —  "He  is  a  fine  man;  I  like  him." 

He  then  told  them  many  things  about  mathe- 
matics as  a  science,  its  power  in  intellectual 
development,  and  its  great  value  in  the  practical 
business  of  life ;  its  place  in  astronomy  and  en- 
gineering, in  naval  and  military  operations,  and 
the  certainty  with  which  it  assures  the  mind. 

It  was  a  simple,  quiet  talk,  illustrated  in 
various  ways  by  references  to  the  book  and  the 
sciences  spoken  of.  He  thus  drew  them  nearer 
to  himself,  and  removed  the  dread  with  which  so 
many  approach  the  vexed  subject  of  mathemat- 
ics. This  class  was  in  algebra,  on  at  cube  root, 
doing  pretty  solid  work.  The  ground  was  famil- 
iar to  him.  Problem  after  problem  had  been 
performed ;  the  whole  class  seemed  roused  to  a 
new  interest,  and  in  stepped  the  Principal,  but 
the  work  went  on.  Every  blackboard  was  in 
use ;  it  was  a  busy  scene ;  there  were  no  idlers 
there. 

"Never  touch  a  problem  hereafter,"  he  said, 
"unless  you  are  certain  you  have  the  rule  fixed 
in  your  minds.  Do  not  forget  this,  and  if  you 
have  that  clear,  then  ask  yourself,  in  case  of 
difficulty,  '  What  axiom  shall  I  use  next  ? '  for 
you  must  keep  using  them,  as  you  do  the  let- 
ters of  the  alphabet,  over  and  over  again. 


TEACHING    LV  KENTUCKY.  85 

"  One  thing  more :  we  arc  going  to  have  hard, 
quick  work  done  in  this  room,  and  be  sure  now 
that  every  one  gets  ready  for  it,  and  we  will 
have  a  splendid  time." 

Mr.  Elaine's  resources  had  never  been  drawn 
on  before  in  any  real,  business-like  way.  But 
it  was  an  experience  he  was  ready  for,  and  he 
liked  it.  He  next  had  a  class  in  Latin,  and 
then  in  United  States  history.  He  could  not 
have  been  better  suited  in  studies.  They  were 
just  the  ones  that  delighted  him.  Christmas 
seemed  to  come  that  year  on  wings,  and  soon 
the  spring-time  was  on  them,  and  the  picnic 
season. 

He  had  shut  himself  up  closely  to  his  work. 
Visitors  had  abounded,  but  he  accepted  but  few 
of  the  invitations  that  were  given.  He  did  not 
even  accept  any  one  of  several  invitations  to 
spend  the  holidays  with  students  at  their  homes. 
A  short  trip  to  Lexington  and  Frankfort  satis- 
fied, and  he  was  back  at  work. 

The  literature  of  every  subject  connected  with 
his  recitations  must  he  read  up  carefully,  and 
every  spare  hour  was  devoted  to  these  lines  of 
study. 

But  he  did  go  to  the  annual  picnic.  He 
was  part  of  the  school,  and  he  must  go. 
Everybody  went,  seemingly.  It  was  a  sec- 
tional affair ;  other  schools  were  there.  He 


86  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

met  a  familiar  face :  it  was  a  lady's ;  who  could 
it  be? 

She  recognized  him,  and  bowed.  He  returned 
it.  He  awoke  as  from  a  revery,  he  had  so 
lived  in  his  work ;  and  being  worried  with  the 
question,  "Where  have  I  seen  that  face,"  traced 
it  at  once  to  the  stage-coach.  They  were  in- 
troduced. 

It  was  Miss  Hattie  Stanwood,  of  Augusta, 
Maine.  She  also  was  teaching  school,  not  far 
away.  It  was  quite  the  thing  in  that  day  for 
well-educated  New  England  girls  or  young  ladies 
to  go  South  and  teach  school. 

They  had  remembered  each  other  through  the 
winter,  but  neither  knew  the  other's  name, 
address,  or  occupation.  Now  all  was  clear. 
Thoughts  and  dreams  were  actualized.  It  was 
a  marvel,  almost  a  miracle,  that  they  should 
meet. 

The  picnic  had  no  further  charms  for  them. 
They  quietly  strolled  away  together  over  the 
hills  after  the  lunch  was  served,  and  for  three 
full  hours  they  lived  in  each  other's  lives.  They 
seemed  strangely  near  to  each  other,  and  a  pecul- 
iar peaceful  joy  seemed  living  in  their  hearts. 
It  had  evidently  come  to  stay.  None  other 
ever  seemed  to  be  so  needful  to  life  itself.  No 
formal  words  were  spoken,  only  cards  exchanged 
and  carefully  preserved.  In  two  weeks  her  school 


TEACHING   IN  KENTUCKY.  8  7 

would  close,  and  she  would  spend  the  summer 
northward  at  her  home,  and  he  would  take  a 
long  trip  southward  through  various  states,  and 
see  what  could  be  seen  as  far  clown  as  New 
Orleans.  They  spent  two  afternoons  in  each 
other's  company  before  the  time  of  departure 
came ;  correspondence  was  agreed  upon,  and  in 
the  autumn  they  would  meet  and  renew  acquaint- 
ance in  the  old  posts  of  duty.  Some  slight 
tokens  were  exchanged,  and  as  they  must  they 
nerved  brave  hearts  for  a  long  and  perilous 
separation. 

When  the  time  for  their  departure  came  they 
were  found  seated  side  by  side  in  the  same  old 
coach,  for  Louisville.  The  ride  was  much  shorter 
and  far  more  pleasant  in  that  rich  and  beaute- 
ous spring-time  than  in  the  ripe  and  luscious 
autumn  before. 

Politics  was  a  barren  subject  now.  Homes 
were  admired  as  they  passed  along;  bits  of  sen- 
timent indulged ;  snatches  of  song  and  lines  of 
poetry ;  much  sober,  sensible  talk  filled  in  the 
hours  which  served  as  a  needed  respite  to 
minds  kept  hard  at  thought  throughout  the 
year. 

The  future  loomed  up,  real  and  grand.  Their 
lives  took  on  a  glow  of  interest  and  earnestness 
of  hope  they  never  had  known.  There  seemed 
to  be  a  reason  in  them  now,  before  unseen. 


88  riNE    TO    POTOMAC. 

They  felt  their  worth  and  knew  their  joy,  as 
it  was  never  felt  or  known  before. 

Mr.  Elaine  took  his  southern  trip,  and  made 
business  of  it.  He  knew  the  history  of  all  that 
country,  every  state  and  town. 

It  had  a  vastly  different  look  to  him  from 
any  region  of  the  North  which  he  had  visited. 
Slavery  was  the  hideous  monstrosity  of  evil  that 
met  him  everywhere.  It  was  to  him  the  great 
contradiction  and  condemnation  of  the  South. 

He  had  heard  and  heard,  but  determined  to 
see  for  himself,  and  see  he  did.  There  was 
much  that  seemed  pleasant  in  plantation-life, 
but  when  he  went  to  the  slave-pens  and  the 
slave-auctions,  and  saw  families  broken  and  sold" 
asunder,  and  heard  their  cries,  and  saw  the 
blows,  —  their  only  recognition,  —  his  patriot-blood 
boiled  fiercely  in  his  veins.  It  was  enough.  He 
sought  his  old  home,  and  spent  a  happy  month 
or  more  with  its  loved  ones,  those  who  rejoiced 
with  him  greatly  over  the  achievements  of  the  year. 

Miss  Stanwood  made  her  journey  northward 
amid  all  the  loveliness  of  Nature,  and  arrived 
home  far  more  the  woman  than  when  she  left. 
Life  was  more  real  and  earnest  now,  and  filled 
with  larger  hopes.  She  was  charmed  with  the 
South,  and  had  strange  longings  to  return.  But 
letters  are  tell-tale  things,  for  men,  without  any 
special  reason,  will  write  a  great,  bold  hand. 


TEACHING   IN  KENTUCKY. 


James  was  able  to  lay  two  hundred  dollars  on 
the  table  on  his  return,  and  entertained  them 
by  the  hour  with  stories  of  the  South.  He 
had  seen  much  gambling  and  drinking,  many 
bowie  knives  and  revolvers,  and  seen  many 
splendid  specimens  of  men. 

He  was  filled  with  its  beauties  and  glories, 
and  with  its  generous,  kindly  hospitalities.  It 
was  a  region  so  historic,  so  immense  in  possi- 
bilities, so  alive  and  magnificent  with  the  old 
ante-bellum  greatness,  and  splendor  of  cities  and 
homes  ;  so  many  graduates  from  Yale  and  Har- 
vard, which  had  been  a  dream  of  fame  and  great- 
ness ever  to  him;  so  many  men  of  leisure, 
and,  withal,  so  much  to  see  ;  so  much  of  pleas- 
ing, thrilling  interest;  so  much  stir  and  life, 
that  weeks  passed  by. 

He  spent  parts  of  two  winters  in  New  Or- 
leans. He  was,  in  fact,  a  southern  man  for  the 
time.  His  business  was  in  the  South,  and  his 
great  social  powers  gave  him  friends  and  en- 
trance everywhere. 

The  kind  letters  of  his  fellow-teachers,  —  Colonel 
Thorndike  F.  Johnson,  the  principal  of  the 
Academy,  and  Colonel  Bushrod  Johnson,  after  of 
the  Confederate  army,  —  gave  him  many  pleasing 
acquaintances.  This  was  twelve  or  fourteen  years 
before  the  war.  The  political  business  and  edu- 
cational interests  of  the  country  were  a  unit. 


9O  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

There  was  no  talk  of  rebels  or  of  treason.  The 
prominent  men  of  the  country,  politically,  were 
largely  from  the  South.  The  presidents  had 
been  selected  largely  from  that  section,  and  the 
political  contests  throughout  were  carried  on  by 
parties  whose  strongholds  were  North  and  South. 
Only  the  summer  before,  President  Polk  had 
made  a  tour  through  the  Middle  and  Eastern 
states,  going  eastward  as  far  as  Portland,  Maine, 
and  was  received  with  every  demonstration  of 
respect.  Nathan  Clifford,  of  Maine,  was  his 
Attorney-general,  and  Mr.  Bancroft,  his  Minister 
to  England. 

Mr.  Elaine's  father  had  moved  to  Washington, 
as  he  was  prothonotary  of  the  courts,  during  his 
term  at  college,  so  that  he  had  made  his  home 
with  them  during  some  of  these  years,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  time  with  a  Mrs.  Acheson. 
He  had  ample  opportunity  to  renew  acquaintance 
with  old  friends ;  with  Prof.  Wm.  P.  Aldrich,  who 
had  drilled  him  so  faithfully  in  mathematics: 
with  Prof.  Richard  Henry  Lee,  grandson  of 
Richard  Henry  Lee,  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
who  was  his  professor  of  rhetoric  and  belle- 
lettres ;  with  his  firm  friend,  Professor  Mur- 
ray, who  so  inspired  him  in  the  study  of  the 
languages,  and  gave  Mr.  Elaine  a  regular  theo- 
logical drill  in  the  study  of  Greek,  that  most 
perfect  receptacle  of  human  thought,  in  all  its 


TEACHING    IN  KENTUCKY,  9 1 

shades  and  vastness,  even  now, —  a  language  which 
took  up  Christ,  his  kingdom,  and  his  mission, 
thoughts  and  doctrines,  and  perpetuated  them 
for  the  world. 

No  drill  is  more  highly  intellectual,  more 
conducive  of  fine  taste,  good  judgment,  and  ac- 
curacy, than  the  study  of  the  Greek;  and  this 
he  had  under  the  master-hand. 

To  Prof.  Richard  Henry  Lee  may  be  traced 
the  training  of  power  so  brilliantly  displayed  in 
Mr.  Elaine's  forensic  efforts  and  on  the  stump. 

To  renew  acquaintance  with  these  men,  and  a 
multitude  of  other  friends,  was  a  part  of  his 
great  pleasure.  He  was  fresh  and  full  as  ever, 
taller  by  an  inch,  and  larger  every  way.  He  no 
longer  seemed  to  them  a  boy,  but  had  the  air 
and  manners  of  a  man,  and  yet  his  laugh  was 
as  merry  and  hearty,  his  shake  of  the  hand  as 
vigorous  and  friendly  as  ever. 

The  sunny  South  shone  full  upon  them  in  the 
fresh  report  he  brought.  It  was  a  goodly  land, 
and  he  had  made  it  a  study,  bringing  to  bear 
all  his  power  of  close  observation. 

He  had  taken  his  course  at  college  principally 
for  the  sake  of  study,  simply,  and  the  knowl- 
edge he  gained;  but  the  prominent  thought  in 
his  mind  had  been  journalism.  This  had  not 
been  his  purpose  in  education,  but  simply  a  chief 
idea  in  his  mind  rather  than  a  chosen  aim  in 


Q2  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

life.  So  that  with  this  thought  within  him,  and 
the  habit  of  seeing  everything  on  him,  but  little 
escaped  the  wide  range  of  his  vision  during  his 
southern  journeyings. 

Of  course  when  home  he  did  not  ignore  the 
old  college-library.  It  was  a  resort  so  greatly 
loved,  and  almost  sacred. 

But  when  the  hour  struck  he  was  eager  to 
be  off  for  his  post  of  duty,  —  Kentucky.  Prompt- 
ness and  despatch  were  ever  elements  of  power 
with  him.  He  reached  Georgtown  ahead  of  time, 
and  was  rested  and  in  readiness  when  the  new 
year  of  work  began,  and  it  was  a  year  of  hard, 
steady,  constant  work  with  him.  He  not  only 
had  now  a  reputation  to  sustain,  but  to  be 
greatly  advanced.  That  a  man  stops  growing 
when  he  is  satisfied,  was  a  thing  perfectly  un- 
derstood by  him.  A  man  without  ambition  is 
dead  while  he  lives,  and  the  one  content  to 
live  with  his  head  over  his  shoulder  may  as 
well  be  turned  into  a  pillar  of  salt.  It  is  the 
men  who  look  ahead,  and  who  look  up  who  have 
a  future.  A  backward  look  is  a  downward  look  to 
them. 

Competition  was  strong  at  the  academy.  En- 
thusiasm was  great.  Professor  Elaine  had  done 
much  to  arouse  it,  but  all  unconsciously.  He 
had  held  steadily  to  his  fixed  habits  of  study, 
preparing  carefully  for  each  recitation  himself, 


TEACHING    IN  KENTUCKY.  93 

permitting  no  shams  in  his  class-room.  The 
military  discipline  at  the  institution  aided  greatly 
its  matter  of  discipline.  Life  and  energy  were 
everywhere  manifest. 

And  so  the  year  passed  with  nothing  special 
worthy  of  note,  except  the  amount  of  real  work 
performed,  and  the  large  measure  of  success 
achieved. 

Acquaintance  with  his  lady  friend  was  early 
renewed  and  pleasantly  continued.  It  had  much 
to  do  with  the  inspiration  of  the  present  and 
in  shaping  his  future.  Of  course  it  was  kept  a 
profound  secret,  and  no  one  in  Kentucky  per- 
mitted to  know  that  they  were  aught  to  each 
other  except  chance  friends,  and  indeed  in  point 
of  formal  fact  they  were  not  until  near  the 
close  of  the  year,  when  the  crisis  came ;  but 
the  young  professor  was  a  gallant  knight,  and 
had  occasion  required  might  readily  have  per- 
formed some  thrilling  act  of  knighthood  that 
would  have  set  the  neighborhood  agog,  for 
none  can  doubt  he  had  it  in  him  even  then. 
Milder  methods  have  ever  been  his  rule,  except 
emergency  arise,  and  then  he  arises  with  it. 

It  is  this  ability  of  abilities,  this  almost  per- 
fection of  powers,  that  has  made  him  equal  to 
every  occasion,  however  dire  or  desperate  oppo- 
sition may  have  been ;  that  has  given  him  his 
great  prominence  in  journalism,  in  halls  of  legis- 


94  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

lature,  both  of  state  and  nation,  and  in  the  field 
of  politics.  But  he  has  had  this  mountain-peak 
of  power  because  beneath  and  back  of  it  lay  a 
long  mountain-range  of  endeavor,  capacity,  and 
growth. 

The  patient,  hard,  honest  toil  of  years  has 
ever  and  anon  had  its  culmination  in  hours  of 
splendid  victory. 


V. 


A    NEW    FIELD. 


HE  years  at  Georgetown  reviewed  and 
solidified  the  work  of  his  student 
scholarly  life  thus  far,  beside  carry- 
ing him  forward  to  new  fields  of 
conquest.  Courtship  could  not  interfere  with 
study  and  with  work,  and  it  did  not. 

This  new  relationship  had  changed  somewhat 
the  plan  of  life.  Other  years  could  be  but  a 
repetition  of  the  two  now  nearly  passed,  so  that 
while  he  was  in  the  line  of  promotion  and  in 
a  place  to  grow,  it  was  not  just  the  thing,  -so 
he  relinquished  his  professorship  and  went  north- 
ward. 

These  years  had  been  eventful  in  the  history 
of  the  country.  The  Mexican  war  had  been 
fought,  and  General  Taylor,  its  hero,  elected  and 
inaugurated  president.  Both  were  triumphs  of 
the  Slave  Power. 

President  Polk  had  taken  part  in  the  cere- 
monies attendant  upon  the  inauguration  of  Gen- 
eral Taylor,  and  gone  to  his  home  in  Tennessee 


96  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

by  way  of  Richmond,  Charleston,  and  New 
Orleans,  only  to  die  on  the  I5th  ot  June,  1849, 
in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

The  cholera  was  raging  in  the  South  "like  a 
desolating  blast.  It  swept  over  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi,  carrying  off  thousands  with  the 
suddeness  of  the  plagues  of  the  old  world." 
The  South  was  surely  no  place  for  northerners 
at  such  a  time. 

The  great  gold-fever  of  California  was  on  the 
country,  and  scores  were  hurrying  to  the  Pacific 
coast.  But  Mr.  Elaine  had  no  taste  for  adven- 
ture,—  no  thirst  for  gold.  He  was  a  man  of 
books  and  a  man  of  affairs,  profoundly  interested 
in  all  that  pertained  to  the  country,  but  too 
young  as  yet  either  to  hold  office  or  vote. 

He  took  his  last  winter's  journey  to  the  South, 
and  returned  home  to  find  his  father  near  his 
end,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years. 

James  was  now  twenty  years  old,  and  the 
pressure  of  new  responsibilities  was  on  him. 
His  attention  is  turned  to  business  matters,  and 
he  displays  the  same  capacity  and  aptitude  which 
in  fuller  power  have  characterized  him. 

He  early  became  impressed  with  the  extent 
and  richness  of  the  great  coal-fields  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  before  he  was  thirty  years  of  age 
made  those  investments  which  have  so  enriched 
him  in  later  years. 


A    NEW  FIELD.  97 


It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  and  sagacity  in  men 
to  make  the  most  of  their  first  years,  or  the 
first  half  of  life.  This  is  an  eminent  feature  in 
the  career  of  Mr.  Blaine.  There  are  no  wasted 
years  in  his  life ;  no  baneful  habits  to  destroy 
his  energies  or  dry  up  the  fountain  of  his  joys. 
He  is  a  clean,  strong,  vigorous  man,  and  is 
able  to  celebrate  the  year  of  his  majority  with 
a  more  extensive  preparation  and  experience  as 
scholar,  teacher,  traveler,  and  man  of  business, 
and  a  brighter  outlook  for  life,  than  falls  to  the 
lot  of  many  young  Americans. 

In  this  year  of  1851  transpired  the  event 
more  propitious  than  any  other.  It  was  his 
marriage,  at  Pittsburgh,  to  Miss  Hattie  Stanwood, 
the  present  Mrs.  Blaine,  a  lady  of  fine  culture 
and  rare  good  sense,  who  loves  her  home 
with  the  devotion  of  a  true  wife  and  noble 
mother. 

It  would  require  the  sagacity  of  a  sage  to 
have  predicted  the  future  of  Mr.  Blaine,  had  it 
not  been  his  kindly  fortune  to  £iave  his  life 
crowned  with  so  much  of  goodness,  wisdom,  in- 
telligence, and  love,  as  is  found  in  the  com- 
panion of  his  honors  and  joys. 

Six  children,  now  living,  have  come  in  these 
years  to  honor  their  wedded  life;  —  a  goodly 
family  indeed. 

It    is    perhaps     not    unworthy    of    remark    that 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


during  an  entire  century  of  the  nation's  life,  but 
one  old  bachelor  was  ever  elected  president,  and 
he  the  last  resort  of  an  expiring  Democracy. 

From  1852  to  1854  Mr.  Elaine  was  principal 
teacher  in  the  Institution  for  the  Blind  at  Phil- 
adelphia, meanwhile  reading  law  in  the  office  of 
Theodore  Cuyler,  who  became  a  leading  lawyer 
in  that  famed  city,  eminent  for  the  greatness  of 
the  members  of  its  bar. 

These  quiet  years  of  reading  and  study  and 
teaching  in  a  great  degree  fitted  Mr.  Elaine  for 
his  career  as  a  statesman. 

He  fitted  himself  for  admission  to  the  bar, 
but  never  committed  himself  to  the  practice  of 
the  profession  by  assuming  its  functions.  The 
love  of  journalism  would  not  die.  It  was  in  his-" 
heart.  The  time  had  come  to  give  it  light  and 
opportunity.  Often  had  the  attractions  of  the 
Pine  Tree  state  been  presented  to  him  by  Mrs. 
Elaine  in  all  the  glowing  colors  with  which 
youth  is  accustomed  to  paint  the  scenes  that 
lie  near  its  heart.  No  state  had  the  charms 
for  her  possessed  by  the  state  of  Maine.  Here 
she  was  born,  and  here  those  dearest  to  her 
resided. 

As  yet  they  had  not  settled  down  for  life. 
The  time  had  come  for  their  decision.  Her 
powers  of  argument,  and  its  very  eloquence  of 
oiatory,  without  aught  of  noise  and  gesture,  but  of 


A    NEW  FIELD.  09 


simple  and  quiet  way,  were  brought  into  requi- 
sition, and  it  was  decided  not  to  go  west  and 
grow  up  with  the  country,  but  go  east  and 
grow  where  greatness  has  its  models. 

Maine  has  never  wanted  for  great  men ;  she 
had  them  then,  she  has  them  today. 

In  1854  Mr.  Elaine  removed  with  his  family 
to  Augusta,  the  capital  city  of  Maine,  where  he 
has  since  resided. 

He  purchased,  with  Joseph  Baker,  the  Kenne- 
bcc  Journal,  founded  in  1823. 

Now,  the  political  field  could  be  reviewed  and 
studied  at  will ;  the  political  arena  was  entered. 
The  paper  had  been  first  started  by  a  meeting 
of  the  principal  citizens  to  found  a  Republican 
paper,  and  such  it  was  in  real  earnest.  No 
longer  the  secluded  life  of  the  student,  or  the 
quiet  life  of  the  teacher. 

Embarking  in  journalism  at  such  a  time  was 
like  embarking  on  the  sea,  where  storms  and 
collisions  abound ;  where  icebergs  show  them- 
selves, and  rocks  and  reefs  are  found.  No 
country  has  more  political  storms  and  commo- 
tions, perhaps,  than  America.  They  are  of  all 
kinds  and  sizes,  from  city,  town,  county,  up  to 
state  and  national  storms,  and  blows,  hurricanes, 
and  tempests.  In  those  times  of  the  slave 
oligarchy,  they  beat  with  a  fury  unknown  to- 
day. Sometimes  they  were  fierce  in  their 


100  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 


cruelty.  It  was  a  fight  of  great  learning  and 
profound  convictions  on  both  sides,  a  fight  of 
dearest  principle  and  of  Christian  faith. 

President  Taylor  had  died  on  the  Qth  of  July, 
1850,  and  Millard  Fillmore  served  out  his  term 
of  office.  March  4,  1853,  Franklin  Pierce,  of 
New  Hampshire,  who,  in  1846,  had  declined  to 
be  Attorney-general  in  President  Folk's  cabinet ; 
also  an  appointment  of  United  States  Senator 
by  Governor  Steele,  and  the  Democratic  nomina- 
tion for  Governor,  but  had  plunged  into  the 
Mexican  war  and  won  his  honors  there,  and  who 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  New  Hampshire  bar, 
was  inaugurated  President,  and  ruled  the  nation 
when  Mr.  Elaine  became  an  editor.  He  had  a 
powerful  cabinet,  who,  of  course,  were  among 
the  prominent  public  men  of  the  time. 

When  Mr.  Elaine  entered  political  life,  though 
not  of  his  ilk,  there  were  William  L.  Marcy,  of 
New  York,  Secretary  of  State;  Robert  M'Clel- 
land,  of  Michigan,  Secretary  of  the  Interior ; 
James  Guthrie,  of  Kentucky,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury;  Jefferson  Davis,  of  Mississippi,  Secre- 
tary of  War;  James  Dobbins,  of  North  Caro- 
lina, Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Caleb  Gushing,  of 
Massachusetts,  Attorney-general,  and  James  Camp- 
bell, of  Pennsylvania,  Postmaster-general.  Web- 
ster, Corwin,  Stuart,  Conrad,  Graham,  Critten- 
dcn,  and  Hall  had  been  in  Mr.  Fillmore's 


A    NEW  FIELD.  IOI 


cabinet.  The  time  for  Republican  victory  was 
drawing  nigh,  and  the  young  editor  was  in  posi- 
tion to  help  bring  it  on. 

It  was  the  centennial  of  the  city's  history. 
The  celebration  was  very  beautiful,  an  account 
of  which  appeared  in  Mr.  Elaine's  paper,  the 
Kcnncbec  Journal,  of  July  6,  1854,  and  seemed 
auspicious  of  his  arrival  in  the  city,  and  the 
inauguration  of  his  work. 

Augusta  is  about  midway  between  towns  that 
boast  two  of  the  leading  institutions  of  learning 
in  the  state,  Colby  University  at  Waterville, 
and  Bowdoin  College  at  Brunswick,  where  Long- 
fellow graduated,  and  his  classmate,  Hon.  James 
W.  Bradbury,  who  was,  about  this  time,  United 
States  Senator  from  Maine,  when  the  great  men 
of  the  nation, — Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  Douglas, 
Cass,  and  others,  —  were  discussing  in  the  senate 
the  constitutional  and  slavery  questions  involved 
in  the  compromise  measures. 

It  was  a  time  and  place  where  great  historic 
interests  centered.  It  had  been  the  scene  of 
grave  military  operations,  a  fort  and  outposts  on 
the  nation's  frontier,  less  than  a  hundred  years 
before,  had  been  conspicuous  in  the  French  and 
Indian  wars. 

The  mind  of  Elaine  was  not  long,  with  his 
practical  methods  of  historic  research,  in  threading 
out  lines  of  history,  entering  the  labyrinths  of 


IO2  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


knowledge  of  a  mighty  past,  and  a  great  and 
wondrous  present,  boxing  the  compass  historically, 
as  it  were,  until  he  knew  the  past  and  present 
of  his  adopted  state,  and  of  New  England,  as 
he  had  known  his  native  state. 

He  came  with  no  beat  of  drum  and  blare  of 
trumpet,  but  quietly,  with  no  parade  or  display, 
and  went  to  work  with  good  grace  and  strong 
determination.  He  brought  his  capital  with  him. 
It  had  not  been  embezzled,  nor  squandered,  nor 
stolen.  It  was  in  a  portable  bank  in  which  he. 
had  been  depositing  his  investments,  or  invest- 
ing his  deposits,  steadily  for  nearly  twenty  years. 
Already  he  had  drawn  compound  interest,  and 
vet,  unlike  air,  water  or  money,  the  more  he 
drew,  the  more  there  was  on  deposit,  bright 
and  clear  with  the  polish  of  the  mint.  He  had 
invested  in  solid,  reliable  knowledge  and  educa- 
tion. He  had  taken  stock  in  James  G.  Elaine, 
taught  and  trained  him  to  think,  to  know,  to 
talk,  to  write,  and  act.  There  is  always  a  de- 
mand for  just  such  men.  Communities  want 
them,  the  state  and  nation  wants  them.  From 
the  distant  South,  explored  and  carefully  sur- 
veyed and  estimated,  he  had  come  to  the  far- 
thermost North  and  East,  and  here  for  life  his 
home  is  to  be. 


VI. 


JOURNALISM. 


JT  was  not  the  policy  of  Mr.  Blaine  to 
undertake  a  work  for  which  he  was 
not  specially  fitted.  General  adaptation 
and  preparation  were  not  enough ;  he 
must  be  master  of  the  situation  or  not  at  all, 
so  he  did  not  sit  down  in  the  editorial  chair  at 
once.  He  was  among  a  new  people.  He  must 
know  them.  His  paper  was  published  at  the 
state  capital.  He  must  know  the  state.  He 
must  know  it  politically,  socially,  morally,  educa- 
tionally, religiously.  This  required  extensive  travel. 
He  must  understand  the  demands  of  the  people, 
their  character  and  temperament. 

The  Kenncbcc  Journal  had  not  yet  risen  to 
that  standard  of  circulation  and  of  excellence, 
its  position  warranted  and  required.  In  the  words 
of  one  thoroughly  conversant  with  its  affairs, 
"The  paper  was  badly  run  down."  It  was  the 
opposition  paper,  and  had  long  been  what,  in 
common  parlance  is  known  as  "the  under  dog  in 
the  fight."  There  was  the  largest  opportunity 


104  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

for  the  display  of  the  new  editor's  push  and 
tact  in  business  matters.  To  these  two  things, 
therefore,  —  public  acquaintance  and  business 
affairs, — he  gave  himself  until  November,  1854. 

About  this  time  a  turn  came  in  the  political 
tide,  and  William  Pitt  Fessenden,  "that  good 
Whig,"  was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate, 
routing  the  Pillsbury  Democracy.  Governor 
Crosby  and  his  council  were  also  Whigs. 

Everything  of  a  political  character  seemed 
highly  favorable  for  the  best  editorial  work,  just 
as  after  the  war  the  highest  statesmanship  was 
requisite  to  garner  and  perpetuate  its  results, 
crystalize  its  victories,  and  thus  secure  their 
glory  untarnished. 

So  now  conservatism,  power,  and  radical  might, 
— the  one  to  hold,  and  the  other  to  defend  what 
had  been  gained,  —  were  needful.  It  did  not  take 
long  to  catch  the  spirit  of  the  hour.  Mr.  Elaine 
had  been  familiar  with  the  fight  from  boyhood, 
and  in  the  great  campaign  of  General  Harrison 
had  seen,  upon  a  grander  scale,  a  similar  victory. 
Now  he  was  on  the  stage  of  action,  in  the 
responsibilities  of  life. 

He  had  really  entered  the  state  in  one  of  the 
happiest  years,  politically,  of  her  history.  It  was 
not  until  several  years  later  that  the  legislature 
of  his  old  state  of  Pennsylvania  defeated  the 
express  wish  of  President  Buchanan  upon  this 


JOURNALISM.  105 


same  issue,  and  sent  Gen.  Simon  Cameron  to 
the  senate  in  place  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  selected 
candidate,  John  W.  Forney.  This,  at  the  time, 
was  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  severe  blows 
his  administration  could  receive. 

In  Maine  it  was  the  voice  of  the  people 
against  the  nefarious  attempt  to  fasten  slavery 
upon  the  territories,  and  against  the  repeal  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise.  Then  the  opponents 
of  slavery  were  not  all  abolitionists.  They  were 
rather  restrictionists.  In  an  address  delivered  by 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  about  this  time,  he  makes 
these  two  points, — 

First. — "We  must  hedge  in  slavery  as  far  as 
possible." 

Second.  — "  Ameliorate  the  condition  of  the 
blacks  to  the  extent  of  our  ability." 

There  were,  indeed,  abolitionists  then,  red  hot, 
just  as  there  are  prohibitionists  now,  and  as 
events  have  proved,  they  were  the  vanguard  of 
Vicksburg  and  Gettysburgh,  where  there  were  no 
compromises  of  the  Missouri,  or  any  other  kind, 
and  no  Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  but  lines  of 
battle.  And  in  the  one  case  the  words  "sur- 
render of  slaves,"  written  with  bayonets  dipped 
in  blood,  and  in  the  other,  resounding  from 
cannon  and  battle  charge,  the  only  alternative, 
"give  in  or  go  under." 

But     the     great     political     battles     were     being 


IO6  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

fought  now,  not  to  kill  men,  but  to  save  them, 
and  to  avert,  if  possible,  the  dread  arbitrament 
of  civil  war  with  its  consequences,  more  dire 
than  pen  could  write  or  tongue  could  tell.  It 
was  a  time  for  greatest  wisdom  and  loftiest 
courage. 

Political  life  was  the  life  of  a  soldier,  and 
the  political  field  a  field  of  battle,  as  the  as- 
sault upon  Charles  Sumner  and  Horace  Greeley, 
at  the  nation's  capital  testify. 

No  wonder  the  wise  and  prudent  Pennsylva- 
nian  surveyed  the  field  with  great  deliberation, 
and  gained  the  fullest  possible  knowledge  of  the 
situation  ere  he  balanced  his  spear  for  its  first 
lunge.  It  was  but  the  putting  on  of  his  full 
armor  ere  the  soldier  enters  the  fray.  It  was 
no  business  venture  or  financial  investment 
merely,  but  rather  the  solemn  dedication  of  him- 
self to  the  nation's  weal. 

Then  and  there  the  public  career  begins  that 
has  brought  him  to  this  hour.  It  is  a  career 
of  alternate  wildest  storm  and  serenest  sun- 
shine. There  were  at  this  time,  practically,  four 
parties  in  Maine,  and  two  great  questions,  both 
of  them  moral  in  character,  namely :  Temperance 
and  Slavery.  The  Democratic  party  was  split 
into  two  most  radical  sections,  with  slavery  for 
their  dividing  line.  Beside  these  were  the 
Whigs  and  Liberalists. 


JOURNALISM.  IO7 


The  birth-hour  of  the  Republican  party  was 
near  at  hand.  The  elements  were  in  existence 
demanding  organization.  Already  men  in  sympa- 
thy with  each  other  upon  the  great  questions  of 
the  day  in  the  different  parties  and  divisions 
had  acted  together  upon  occasions  of  great  politi- 
cal importance,  as  in  the  election  of  Mr.  Fes- 
senden,  an  ardent  Whig,  to  the  senate.  Anti- 
slavery  men,  of  the  Democratic  party,  could  and 
did  vote  for  him.  The  nation  demanded  the 
man,  somewhat  as  to-day  she  demands  another 
son  of  Maine.  The  New  York  Tribune,  in  an 
issue  prior  to  his  election,  said, —  "The  nation 
wants  him."  Not  party  names,  but  principles, 
ruled  the  hour. 

Less  than  ninety  days  after  Mr.  Elaine,  quill 
in  hand,  made  his  bow  on  the  loth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1854,  to  the  people  of  Augusta  and  to  the 
state  of  Maine,  the  Republican  party  was  in 
existence,  a  full-fledged  organization.  Conventions 
had  met  a  little  earlier  in  Wisconsin  and  in 
one  of  the  counties  of  Maine  for  a  similar  pur- 
pose. Mr.  Blaine  was  with  the  movement,  heart 
and  soul.  He  was  present  at  its  birth,  and  re- 
joiced in  its  existence.  It  had  come  into  exist- 
ence full  of  life  and  power,  as  it  had  taken 
nearly  all  the  life  and  power  out  of  the  other 
parties. 

It   had   taken   a    minority   of    the   Democrats,  a 


108  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

majority  of  the  Whigs,  and  all  of  the  Anti- 
slavery  or  Liberty  party.  "Liberty  national,  Slav- 
ery sectional,"  was  upon  its  shield.  No  one,  of 
course,  stopped  to  ask,  in  the  rejoicing  of  the 
hour,  how  in  the  name  of  reason  liberty  could 
be  national  and  slavery  sectional.  But  they 
were  organized  for  victory,  as  right  against 
wrong.  How  auspicious  and  full  of  promise  that 
Mr.  Elaine  should  celebrate  the  twenty-fifth  year 
of  his  remarkable  life  by  entrance  with  this 
party  of  progress  and  of  power  upon  its  mar- 
velous career,  himself  an  integral  part  of  it,  and 
a  power  within  it. 

About  this  time  John  L.  Stevens,  a  man  of 
great  good  sense,  takes  Mr.  Baker's  place,  a 
large  law-practice  demanding  his  attention,  as 
co-editor  of  the  Journal.  But  Mr.  Stevens  is 
so  occupied  with  the  details  of  party  organiza- 
tion, that  most  of  the  editorial  work  at  this 
time  falls  to  Mr.  Blaine,  and  it  shows  great 
vigor  and  ability. 

One  who  was  associated  with  him  intimately 
at  this  time,  in  professional  life,  speaks  of  him 
as  "a  man  of  great  natural  and  acquired  ability, 
and  of  adaptation,  familiar  with  all  questions  of 
government,  with  a  remarkable  facility  for  getting 
at  the  core  of  a  question,  a  man  of  genius  and 
talent  to  a  striking  degree "  ;  and  as  we  went 
over  year  after  year  of  editorials,  some  of  them 


JOURNALISM.  109 


very  striking  and  forceful  in  their  headings, 
about  the  time  the  young  party  of  great  men 
was  fairly  on  its  feet,  and  had  become  the  tar- 
get for  rifle  shots  from  the  enemy,  the  old  man 
turned,  and  with  that  peculiar  emphasis  which 
always  comes  with  conviction  of  the  truth,  said, 
"He  always  calculated  to  draw  blood,  if  there 
was  a  tender  spot." 

He  invariably  struck  to  demolish  when  fight- 
ing his  great  political  battles.  There  was  no 
play  about  it,  and  none  could  doubt  the  moral 
earnestness  of  the  man.  It  was  a  battle  of 
great  moral  ideas  with  him  all  the  way  through. 

But  his  work  was  more  largely  literary  in 
conducting  the  paper.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
find  more  solid  or  instructive  reading  in  any 
paper  during  those  years.  Mr.  Elaine  was  him- 
self a  great  reader  of  the  best  journals  and  re- 
views, and  with  a  high  standard  ever  before 
him,  not  only  in  his  own  id,cals,  but  also  in 
the  great  papers  of  the  nation  at  his  command, 
and  having  high  aims  and  a  mind  whose  rich 
stores  were  constantly  increased,  and  with  all 
his  varied  powers  of  expression,  books  were  re- 
viewed, the  substance  of  lectures  given,  and  the 
best  lecturers  of  the  day  entertained  Augusta 
audiences,  and  a  multitude  of  articles  upon 
various  subjects  abounded. 

Within   fifty  days    after    he   became   editor,   the 


HO  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

legislature  met,  and  it  devolved  on  him  to  gather 
in  the  substance  of  their  speeches  and  addresses, 
and  record  the  principal  part  of  their  doings. 
This  brought  him  into  immediate  and  extensive 
acquaintance  with  members  of  the  senate,  whose 
hall  he  chose  to  visit  chiefly.  They  soon  be- 
came acquainted  with  him,  and  saw  and  felt  his 
power. 

His  life  was  stirring  and  active,  and  upon  a 
scale  quite  in  contrast  with  the  life  of  a  recluse 
teaching  in  the  Blind  Institute  in  Philadelphia, 
and  quietly  reading  law  only  a  year  before. 

Though  a  man  of  strong  impulse  at  times, 
it  is  intelligent,  purposeful,  and  under  such  con- 
trol that  upon  such  occasions  he  has  won  his 
highest  praise  for  brilliancy.  He  has  made  mis- 
takes and  blunders,  and  has  had  his  share  of 
regrets  and  misgivings,  giving  ample  proof  that 
he  is  a  member  of  the  human  family. 

Mr.  Elaine's  old  foreman,  who  was  afterwards 
proprietor  of  the  paper,  Howard  Owen,  says  that 
he  wrote  most  of  his  editorials  at  home,  and 
came  down  to  the  office  to  see  his  numerous 
friends,  and  that  they  would  have  great  times 
pounding  for  "copy"  while  he  was  entertaining 
hosts  of  friends  in  the  office  below.  One  who 
knows  him  well  has-  written  of  him  as  a  con- 
versationalist. 

Mr.    Elaine   has    few    equals.      He    has    a   keen 


JOURNALISM.  1 1 1 


appreciation  of  fun,  and  can  tell  a  story  with  a 
wonderful  simplicity.  There  is  rib  dragging  pre- 
lude, no  verbose  details  preceding  a  stupid  finale  ; 
the  story  is  presented  always  dramatically,  and 
fired  almost  as  from  a  •  gun,  when  the  point  is 
reached. 

The  dinner-table  in  the  Elaine  house  is  the 
place  where  the  gayest  of  good-natured  pleasantry 
rules.  From  six  to  eight  the  dinner  speeds  un- 
der cover  of  running  talk  upon  the  incidents  of 
the  day. 

Mr.  Owen  says  that  "when  they  came  to  'mak- 
ing up  the  form'  Mr.  Blaine  would  stand  over 
him  and  attend  to  every  detail,  decide  the  loca- 
tion of  every  article,  and  give  just  that  promi- 
nence that  would  produce  the  best  effect."  It 
showed  the  interest  he  took  in  the  children  of 
his  own  brain,  and  the  great  activity  of  the 
man. 

His  force  of  intellect,  strength  of  constitution, 
and  great  endurance  have  been  a  marvel  to 
many. 

He  has  lived  his  life  on  a  rising  tide,  amid 
immense  prosperity,  and  the  great  cheerfulness  of 
temper  thus  produced  has  made  life  less  a  drag 
and  more  a  joy  to  him. 

He  struck  the  current  at  the  start,  caught  at 
its  flood  that  "tide  in  the  affairs  of  men  that 
leads  on  to  fortune." 


112  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

He  got  into  the  national  drift  of  the  new 
party  and  has  kept  it  ever  since.  It.  was  like 
a  splendid  ship,  all  staunch  and  strong,  launched 
at  his  hand ;  he  sprang  aboard,  was  soon  at  the 
helm,  and  has  steadily  passed  along  the  line  of 
honorable  promotion. 

There  have  been  storms  whose  fury  has 
been  terrific ;  and  there  have  been  triumphs 
whose  brightness  has  reflected  the  nation's 
glory. 

The  paper  improved  in  every  way.  They  pro- 
cured the  state  printing,  and  an  increased  circu- 
lation. 

Mr.  Elaine's  pleasant  home  on  Green  Street, 
where  most  of  his  children  were  born,  was  one 
of  comfort  and  happiness. 

He  soon  became  a  favorite  in  Augusta,  and 
among  the  public  men  of  the  state.  People  love 
to  hear  good  things  said  well,  and  he  never 
failed  in  this. 

He  soon  appears  on  the  Republican  Central 
Committee.  The  party  is  victorious  from  the 
start,  and  elects  Anson  P.  Morrill  Governor. 
Mr.  Morrill  is  still  living  in  Augusta,  hale  and 
hearty  at  eighty-one,  a  great  reader,  and  soon 
after  his  nomination  called  upon  Mr.  Elaine  to 
congratulate  him.  The  name  of  J.  G.  Elaine 
appears  as  chairman  of  the  Republican  Central 
Committee  soon  after  its  organization,  and  the 


JOURNALISM.  113 


following  year  he  is  presented  as  a  candidate 
for  the  legislature. 

He  enters  a  city  seventy-five  years  older  than 
himself,  rich  with  numbers  of  strong  men,  but 
is  taken  up  and  speedily  honored  with  a  place 
in  the  councils  of  the  state. 

It  was  an  era  of  great  and  almost  constant 
political  conventions.  The  remnants  of  the  Whig 
party  and  the  Know-nothings  kept  up  a  struggle 
for  existence,  but  they  were  doomed,  and  failed 
to  submit  gracefully  to  the  inevitable.  They 
must  be  watched  and  won,  if  possible,  to  the 
new  party  of  the  future,  whose  substantial,  stead- 
fast principles,  —  as  expressed  by  Mr.  Elaine  and 
his  editorial  colleague,  Joseph  Baker,  in  their  in- 
augural, —  were  freedom,  temperance,  river  and 
harbor  improvement  within  constitutional  limits, 
homesteads  for  freemen,  and  a  -just  administra- 
tion of  the  public  lands  of  the  state  and  nation  ; 
and  the  present  testifies  how  well  those  princi- 
ples, embracing  all  that  were  needful  then  in  a 
political  party,  have  been  carried  out. 

The  words  "  Liberty "  and  "  Freedom,"  in  Mr. 
Elaine's  paper  always  began  with  capital  letters. 

The  religious  tone  and  character  of  the  paper 
is  worthy  of  note.  It  furnished  a  column  of 
"Religious  Intelligence"  each  week.  Many  of 
its  selected  articles,  notices  of  books,  its  corres- 
pondence, and  even  editorials,  were  deeply  relig- 


114  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

ious.  The  work  of  that  time  was  solemn,  seri- 
ous business.  There  was  much  of  the  Puritan 
and  Pilgrim  in  the  people  then.  There  was  a 
reliance  upon  God,  a  demand  for  his  wisdom 
expressed  in  prayer  and  song  and  sermon,  that 
told  that  the  importance  and  magnitude  of  the 
great  principles  at  stake  were  fully  appreciated. 
There  had  been  so  much  failure  in  the  past, 
so  many  parties  had  been  organized  and  proved 
inadequate,  and  still  the  encroachments  of  sla- 
very, the  nation's  foe,  continued  with  an  audac- 
ity unparalleled.  Already  Kansas  was  conceded 
to  the  slave-power;  secession  was  already  in  the 
air.  The  great  war  was  only  seven  years  in 
the  future.  A  Charleston  paper  had  stated  the 
issue  distinctly,  "We  must  give  up  slavery  or 
secede,"  as  it  viewed  the  first  contests  and 
sweeping  victories  of  the  new  party.  And  Mr. 
Elaine,  in  a  ringing  editorial  of  caustic  power, 
quoting  the  entire  paragraph,  said,  "This  is  the 
exact  issue,  squarely  stated." 

His  life  in  Kentucky  and  extensive  winter 
trips  through  the  South  had  been  a  revelation 
to  him,  and  were  now  an  inspiration.  He  knew 
what  was  in  the  South,  and  he  knew  what  was 
in  the  North,  and  he  knew  that  they  could  not 
keep  house  together  for  centuries,  with  slaves  in 
the  country,  without  quarreling.  And,  moreover, 
he  knew  that  the  destinies  of  the  country  could 


JOURNALISM.  I  i  5 


not  be  divided.  She  could  not  remain  half  slave 
and  half  free.  The  South  itself  was  not  satisfied 
with  this,  as  all  their  measures  of  legislation  at 
their  various  state  capitals,  and  in  Washington 
clearly  indicated.  Slavery  must  conquer  or  be 
conquered.  Elaine  saw  it  at  that  early  day,  as 
anyone  may  in  the  light  of  more  recent  events. 

But  this  was  not  the  position  or  demand  of 
the  Republican  party  then.  Anti-slavery  did  not 
mean  abolition.  In  1855  the  Free  Democratic 
party,  as  it  was  called,  was  achieving  victories 
in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  various  phases 
of  the  great  question  were  championed  in  different 
states  and  sections,  until  the  election  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  1860.  And  it  was  not  until  about  two 
years  of  the  war  were  gone,  and  it  was  impera- 
tively demanded  as  a  war  measure;  not  until  it 
had  been  held  back  for  months  by  the  saga- 
cious Lincoln,  after  it  was  written,  that  the  eman- 
cipation of  the  slave  was  proclaimed  in  states 
then  in  armed  rebellion.  But  it  was  a  fact 
fated  and  decreed,  signed,  sealed,  and  delivered 
in  a  higher  than  earthly  tribunal,  long  years 
before. 

There  are  always  high-wrought  souls,  keenly 
alive  and  sensitive  to  issues  of  the  hour,  who 
seem  ordained  to  catch  the  foreshadowing  of 
events  and  report  to  others  of  duller  and  heavier 
mould.  Mr.  Blaine  had  projected  himself  upon 


Il6  PJNE    TO    POTOMAC. 


the  future  with  the  use  of  his  princely  per- 
sonal power,  and  with  an  eagle  eye  -had  read 
out  the  doom  and  destiny  of  that  "peculiar 
institution"  which  violated  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciple of  the  government,  the  great  end  for  which 
it  was  established,  —  a  doom  which  nothing  could 
avert.  God's  time  for  liberty  had  come,  and 
chosen  men  far  out  upon  the  frontier  of  human 
thought  had  watched  its  dawn  and  seen  it  mount 
the  heavens. 

But  first,  the  shining  of  this  same  sun  must 
produce  a  similar  harvest  of  ideas,  where  the 
mists  of  a  false  and  sophistical  political  philoso- 
phy, and  the  fogs  of  a  wrong  and  vicious  science 
of  government,  and  an  unnatural  and  cruel  sel- 
fishness and  monopoly  of  liberty  prevent  the 
cleanest  vision,  the  fullest  knowledge,  and  the 
most  righteous  thought. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Elaine  was  closely  and 
sharply  following  the  course  of  the  Pro-slavery 
party.  We  give  a  single  extract  from  his  paper 
in  1855,  as  showing  what  facts  the  party  had 
to  stir  its  thought  and  fire  its  heart, — facts 
that  read  strangely  in  the  light  of  to-day,  and 
which  had  a  strange,  ominous  look  even  then. 

"SLAVE  TRADE — It  is  said  that  the  business  of 
fitting  out  slavers  is  carried  on  extensively  in  New 
York.  The  Commercial  Advertiser  believes  the  practice 
to  be  'alarmingly  and  disgracefully  prevalent,'  and  the 


JOURNALISM. 


Tribune  states,  on  good  authority,  that  thirty  vessels 
are  annually  fitted  out  there,  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
curing slaves  upon  the  west  coast  of  Africa. 

"This  is  no  more  than  following  out  the  political 
creed  of  the  more  advanced  wing  of  the  progressive 
pro-slavery  Democracy.  The  Charleston  papers,  which 
support  President  Pierce's  administration,  boldly  advo- 
cate the  re-opening  of  the  African  Slave  Trade,  with 
the  view  of  making  '  niggers '  cheaper.  The  '  party ' 
in  New  England  are  not  as  yet  up  to  the  work,  but 
another  Presidential  election  will  fetch  them.  Progress 
is  the  distinct  feature  of  the  age." 

Some  are  ready  now  with  their  verdict  of 
principle,  despite  the  mists  and  fogs  and  storms ; 
yet  not  all.  The  party  of  Freedom  organized  in 
counties  and  states  all  over  the  country,  must 
be  brought  together,  unified  and  organized  as  a 
great  national  party;  a  convention  must  be  held 
and  all  must  be  invited  who  can  be  induced  to 
affiliate.  It  is  a  preliminary  meeting,  as  it  pre- 
cedes the  great  organization.  They  want  to 
get  acquainted  and  see  their  strength.  It  is  to 
be  a  time  of  great  argument  and  powerful 
speeches.  Where  so  appropriate  to  hold  it  as  in 
the  goodly  city  of  Philadelphia  ?  Whigs,  Know- 
nothings,  Free-soilers,  are  to  be  there ;  anti- 
slavery  Democrats,  and  staunch  Republicans. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  there.  It  continued  for  eight 
days.  Its  value  lay  in  the  full  and  free  discus 


Il8  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

sion  of  the  absorbing  questions  of  the  clay,  by 
people  widely  separated  and  subjected  to  varied 
local  influences.  Men  were  influenced  by  mer- 
cantile and  commercial,  by  social  and  domestic 
interests;  by  educational  and  religious  interests, 
and  it  is  almost  impossible  for  many  minds  of 
most  excellent,  though  conservative  quality,  to  rise 
above  fixed  orders  of  things  to  the  clear  appre- 
hension and  vigorous  grasp  of  a  great  principle. 

Early  education  or  neglect,  also,  may  have 
dwarfed  or  blunted  perceptions  and  capabilities ; 
but,  however,  they  came  largely  to  see,  eye  to 
eye,  and  great  progress  was  made.  There  was 
a  lengthening  of  cords  and  strengthening  of 
stakes,  and  on  the  22d  of  February,  1856,  the 
Republicans  met  in  Pittsburgh  and  appointed  its 
national  committee,  and  arranged  for  its  first 
nominating  convention.  The  aint  of  the  party, 
according  to  Mr.  Blaine's  volurninons  report,  had 
been  declared  to  be  "the  restoration  of  the 
government  to  the  policy  of  its  founders ;  its 
ideal  of  patriotism,  the  character  of  Washington; 
its  vital  philosophy,  that  of  Jefferson  ;  its  watch- 
words, American  enterprise  and  industry,  Slavery 
sectional,  Freedom  national." 

The  delegates  of  twelve  Northern  states  with- 
drew from  the  Philadelphia  convention,  and  left 
the  New  York  and  Southern  delegates  to  their 
fate. 


JOURNALISM. 


Mr.  Elaine's  work  is  principally  at  home,  within 
the  boundaries  of  his  adopted  state.  But  fiercer 
than  ever,  the  fires  of  the  great  conflict  are  raging. 

Jefferson  has  remarked,  that  "in  the  unequal 
contest  between  freedom  and  oppression,  the  Al- 
mighty had  no  attribute  that  could  take  part 
with  the  oppressor."  And  yet  the  Democratic 
party,  in  violation  of  its  name  and  prestige 
could  invoke  the  shades  of  this  great  man ; 
could  continue  its  warfare  upon  the  life  of  the 
nation,  and  its  encroachments  upon  the  consti- 
tution, and  violation  of  a  plighted  faith  wher- 
ever slavery  made  its  frightful  demands. 

At  the  head  of  his  editorial  column,  Mr. 
Elaine  kept  these  words,  printed  in  capitals, 
from  the  last  great  speech  delivered  by  Henry 
Clay  in  the  United  States  senate,  "I  repeat  it, 
sir,  I  never  can  and  I  never  will,  and  no 
earthly  power  can  make  me  vote,  directly  or 
indirectly,  to  spread  slavery  over  territory  where 
it  does  not  exist.  Never,  while  reason  holds  its 
seat  in  my  brain ;  never,  while  my  heart  sends 
its  vital  fluid  through  my  veins,  NEVER!" 

Wm,  H.  Seward  was  battling  against  "the  fall 
of  constitutional  liberty"  in  the  senate.  The 
Fugitive  Slave  Act  had  passed  in  1850,  and  the 
Missouri  Compromise  abrogated  in  1854,  and 
now  an  extreme  measure  is  pending  to  protect 
United  States  officers  in  the  arrest  of  fugitive 


I2O  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

slaves.     Mr.    Elaine    prints    the    great    speech    in 
full.     It    had   the   true    Republican   ring. 

Mr.  Elaine's  final  editorial  for  1855,  prior  to 
the  Republican  convention,  and  first  presidential 
campaign,  is  every  way  so  fine  a  summary  of 
the  situation,  and  affords  so  clear  a  view  of  the 
man  in  all  the  moral  earnestness  of  his  powers 
and  wide  comprehension  of  the.  subject,  that  we 
give  two  or  three  extracts  from  his  editorial  in 
the  Kennebec  Journal  of  Dec.  28,  1855,  on  the 
"Condition  of  the  Country:  — 

"  It  is  the  settled  judgment  of  our  ablest  and  best 
statesmen,  that  the  present  is  a  more  momentous 
period  than  any  through  which  the  country  has  passed 
since  the  Revolution.  The  issue  is  fairly  before  the 
American  people,  whether  Democracy  or  Aristocracy, 
Liberty  or  Despotism,  shall  control  the  government 
of  this  Republic.  .  .  .  The  contest  enlists  on  one 
side  the  intelligence,  the  conscience,  the  patriotism, 
and  the  best  energies  of  the  American  people.  On 
the  other  are  engaged  the  avarice,  the  servility,  the 
ignorance,  and  the  lust  of  dominion  which  character- 
ize human  depravity  in  every  age  and  nation. 

"  There  are  in  reality  but  two  sides  to  this  great 
question.  There  is  no  ground  of  neutrality.  As  true 
now  is  it  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  Great  Teacher 
of  liberty  and  salvation,  that  men  cannot  serve  oppo- 
site principles  at  the  same  time.  .  .  .  The  deep- 
ening cry  from  all  quarters  is  that  the  White  House 
must  be  cleansed,  and  all  the  channels  to  and  from 


JOURNALISM.  121 

the  same  thoroughly  renovated.  The  march  of  slavery 
must  be  stopped  or  the  nation  is  lost.  Only  by  the 
firm  and  practical  union  of  all  true  men  in  the  na- 
tion can  its  most  valuable  interests  be  preserved. 
"  We  are,  then,  for  a  common  union 
against  the  National  Administration,  on  the  basis  of 
restoring  the  Missouri  Prohibition  against  slavery  in 
the  territories,  forgetting  past  distinctions  and  priority 
in  the  combination.  Who  shall  be  the  standard- 
bearer  of  this  patriotic  and  conservative  Opposition 
in  the  great  struggle  of  '56  ?  Whoever  the  right  man 
may  be,  —  whether  he  has  his  home  in  the  East  or 
the  West,  in  the  North  or  the  South,  we  care  not, 
if  he  is  but  the  statesman  to  comprehend  the  hour, 
and  is  equal  to  the  necessities  of  the  country,  we 
hope  to  see  him  triumphantly  elected.  We  only  ask 
that  he  be  loyal  to  Liberty,  a  sworn  defender  of  the 
Union  on  its  constitutional  basis,  in  favor  fof  bringing 
back  our  government  to  the  principles  and  policy  of 
its  founders,  and  pledged  to  undo  the  giant  wrong 
of  1854.  To  enlist  in  such  an  opposition,  patriotism, 
the  memory  of  our  Revolutionary  sires,  everything 
sacred  in  our  history,  the  welfare  of  posterity,  invoke 
us.  In  such  a  'union  for  the  sake  of  the  Union' 
we  shall  all  be  Republicans,  all  Whigs,  all  Demo- 
crats, all  Americans." 


VII. 


IN  THE  LEGISLATURE. 


HE  great  year  of  Republicanism  dawns, 
in  which  its  friends  are  to  meet, 
and  its  foes  are  to  feel  its  power. 
Men  had  been  hearing  the  voice 
of  conscience  on  the  moral  questions  of  the 
nation.  Money  had  stiffled  it  with  some ;  for 
others  the  climate  and  location  were  not  propi- 
tious ;  blight  and  mildew  had  struck  some,  — 
darkness  to  them  was  light,  black  was  white. 
Some,  perchance,  held  the  truth  in  unrighteous- 
ness ;  trimmers  and  time-servers  abounded.  But 
the  press  and  the  pulpit  had  been  great  educa- 
tors. God  was  in  the  contest,  and  it  was  be- 
ginning to  be  apparent.  There  were  light  and 
glory  all  about  the  sky,  but  reformations  that 
reform,  and  revolutions  that  revolutionize  have 
in  them  not  only  forceful,  but  voluntary  powers. 
There  are  always  those  who  will  not  be  per- 
suaded or  won,  on  all  grave  questions.  They 
must  be  passed  by  or  overpowered. 

To   get   men    into    position    upon    all    questions 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE.  123 

of  the  nation's  life  and  destiny,  it  is  needful  to 
first  get  the  questions  into  position.  Republi- 
cans had  undertaken  a  herculean  task.  It  was 
not  the  emancipation  of  slaves,  but  of  the  nation 
itself.  The  thraldom  of  a  mighty  woe  was  on 
her. 

Mr.  Blame  entered  the  year  with  the  same 
great  purpose,  and  the  same  bold  enunciation  of 
principles.  He  was  a  true  knight.  His  pen  was 
mightier  than  the  sword.  It  was  never  idle, 
never  cold.  From  home  to  office,  and  office  to 
senate,  and  back  to  office  and  home  he  went, 
day  by  day,  wherever  truth  and  right  could  be 
served. 

Washington's  birthday  came  soon,  and  with  it 
the  Republican  gathering  at  Pittsburgh,  and  then 
the  great  convention  that  nominated  Fremont 
and  Dayton  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  summer  of 
1856;  —  Elaine  was  there;  it  was  on  his  native 
heather.  Never  had  men  listened  so  intently 
since  the  farewell  address  of  Washington ;  rarely 
had  they  thought,  and  felt,  and  resolved  so 
deeply.  Conscience  and  will,  intelligence  and 
love,  were  in  all  they  thought,  and  said,  and 
did.  They  chose  their  men  for  standard-bearers, 
and  fought  out  the  hard,  bitter  fight.  It  was  a 
good  fight,  and  they  kept  the  faith. 

It  was  on  his  return  from  the  convention  in 
Philadelphia  that  he  was  selected,  of  all  who 


124  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

went,  to  report  to  the  citizens  at  home.  It  was 
his  first  oratorical  effort  in  Augusta,  if  not  his 
first  since  leaving  college.  His  pen  had  done 
the  work.  There  had  been  no  demand  for  ora- 
tory. He  surprised  himself  and  astonished  his 
hearers,  and  from  that  hour  the  door  was  open 
for  him  to  enter  the  state  legislature. 

An  old  friend  and  neighbor  of  Mr.  Elaine  has, 
since  his  nomination,  given  the  following  sketch 
of  the  speech:  — 

"This  was  his  first  public  effort.  He  was  then 
twenty-six  years  of  age.  Although  remarkably 
ready  and  easy  of  speech  and  holding  a  prac- 
ticed and  powerful  pen,  he  had  an  almost  un- 
conquerable repugnance  to  letting  his  voice  be 
heard,  except  in  familiar  conversation,  where  his 
brilliant  powers  of  statement  and  argument,  his 
marvelous  memory  of  dates  and  events  in  polit- 
ical history,  and  his  acquaintance  with,  and  keen 
estimate  of  the  public  men  and  parties  of  the 
day,  were  the  delight  and  wonder  of  all  who 
listened  to  him.  The  writer  well  recalls  the 
trepidation,  at  once  painful  and  ludicrous,  with 
which  he  rose  to  address  the  meeting.  In  con- 
fronting the  sea  of  faces,  almost  every  one  of 
which  was  known  to  him,  he  seemed  to  be 
struggling  to  master  the  terror  that  possessed 
him.  He  turned  pale  and  red  by  turns,  and 
almost  tottering  to  the  front,  he  stood  trembling 


IN    THE   LEGISLATURE..  12$ 

until  the  generous  applause  which  welcomed  him 
had  died  away,  when,  by  a  supreme  effort,  he 
broke  the  spell,  at  first  by  the  utterance  of 
some  hesitating  words  of  greeting  and  thanks, 
and  then  gathering  confidence,  he  went  on  with 
a  speech  which  stirred  the  audience  as  with  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  held  all  present  in 
breathless  interest  and  attention  to  its  close. 
From  that  moment  Mr.  Elaine  took  rank  among 
the  most  effective  popular  speakers  of  the  day; 
but  it  may  be  doubted  if  among  the  many  ma- 
turer  efforts  of  his  genius  and  eloquence  upon 
the  political  platform  or  the  legislative  tribune, 
he  has  ever  excited  an  audience  to  a  more  pas- 
sionate enthusiasm,  or  left  a  profounder  impres- 
sion upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his  hearers." 

His  editorials  of  this  year  would  fill  a  large 
volume,  and  all  bold,  trenchant,  and  uncompro- 
mising in  tone.  His  experience  of  the  year  be- 
fore had  just  fitted  him  for  this  hard,  strong 
work.  The  temptation  is  exceedingly  great  to 
make  copious  extracts,  for  it  is  our  single  effort 
to  cause  the  man  to  appear  in  all  the  just  and 
worthy  splendor  of  his  enduring  manhood,  and 
if  a  scar  is  found  in  all  of  wide  research,  no 
hand  shall  cover  it. 

Not  alone  the  great  cause,  but  the  great  men 
who  embodied  it,  were  to  him  an  inspiration. 
Next  to  books,  men  were  his  study.  He  studied 


126  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

the  nation  in  them,  and  all  the  questions  they 
incarnated.  Henry  Wilson  was  to  him  an  inspira- 
tion. "All  praise  to  the  cold  and  lofty  bearing 
of  Henry  Wilson  at  the  Philadelphia  convention," 
he  writes  of  him  in  his  issue  of  June  22,  1854. 
And  all  the  great,  strong  men  of  the  party 
loomed  up  before  him  at  full  stature,  and  had  a 
large  place  in  his  affections.  They  were  the 
apostles  of  liberty  to  him. 

The  last  year  of  Mr.  Elaine's  journalistic  ca- 
reer in  Augusta  was  tame  compared  with  other 
years,  and  yet  the  paper  continued  a  splendid 
specimen  of  what  the  leading  paper  at  the  state 
capital  ought  to  be,  —  rich  in  every  department, 
and  justly  noted  for  the  courage  and  acumen 
of  its  editorial  writings. 

The  great  presidential  campaign  had  resulted 
in  the  election  of  James  Buchanan,  to  whom 
the  Richmond  Enquirer  immediately  gave  this 
friendly  word  of  caution:  "The  president  elect 
will  commit  a  fatal  folly  if  he  thinks  to  organ- 
ize his  administration  upon  any  other  principle 
than  that  of  an  avowed  and  inflexible  support 
of  the  rights  and  institutions  of  the  slave-hold- 
ing states.  He  who  is  not  with  us  is  against 
us,  and  the  South  cannot  attach  itself  to  an 
administration  which  occupies  a  neutral  ground, 
without  descending  from  its  own  lofty  and  im- 
pregnable position." 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE.  \2"J 

In  announcing  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Buchanan 
and  the  Dred  Scott  decision  in  the  same  issue, 
Mr.  Elaine  says, —  "The  conquest  of  slavery  is 
complete.  President,  cabinet,  congress,  judiciary, 
treasury,  army,  navy,  the  common  territory  of 
the  uniort  are  all  in  its  hands  to  be  directed  as 
its  whims  shall  direct."  The  five  great  acts  in 
the  drama  of  national  shame  and  degradation  he 
mentions  as,  "the  Fugitive  Slave  Act,  repeal  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise,  the  raid  on  Kansas, 
election  of  James  Buchanan,  and  the  supreme 
court  decision  in  the  Dred  Scott  case." 

It  was  a  great  deal  for  the  nation  to  endure, 
but  it  was  the  thing  to  arouse  the  nation  to 
the  iniquity  to  be  overthrown  by  the  Republican 
party  in  the  next  election.  Five  of  the  nine 
judges  were  from  the  South,  and  two  of  the 
others,  Nelson  and  Grier,  were  selected  with 
special  regard  to  their  fidelity  to  the  slave-hold- 
ing interests  of  the  South. 

But  there  was  some  honor  and  joy  in  the 
fact  that  Hannibal  Hamlin  was  Governor  of 
Maine,  and  United  States  senator  elect.  His 
inaugural  address  Mr.  Elaine  heads, —  "A  Para- 
lytic Stroke." 

It  was,  indeed,  a  time  for  great  men  to  speak 
out,  and  this  Mr.  Hamlin  did  with  power.  So 
greatly  had  the  Journal  prospered  under  the 
firm  management  of  Stevens  and  Elaine,  that  they 


128  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

removed  from  the  office  at  the  corner  of  Oak 
and  Water  Streets,  which  it  had  occupied  for 
twenty-four  years,  and  at  great  expense,  added 
new  and  improved  machinery.  This  had  scarcely 
been  done  a  month  when  Mr.  Elaine's  name 
disappears  from  its  management.  He  had  sold 
his  interest  in  the  paper  for  "a  good,  handsome 
price,"  and  invested  it  all,  beside  money  loaned 
from  a  brother-in-law,  in  coal  lands  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

He  urged  his  partner,  Mr.  Stevens,  to 
sell  out  his  interest  and  do  the  same.  This 
investment,  says  Mr.  Stevens,  was  very  fortu- 
nate, and  has  yielded  him  handsome  returns. 
But  Mr.  Blaine  was  wanted  on  the  Portland 
Daily  Advertiser.  John  M.  Wood,  a  man  of 
wealth,  owned  it,  and  was  looking  around  for  an 
able  editor.  Mr.  Blaine  had  acquired  a  reputation 
as  editor,  and  was  offered  the  position,  which 
he  accepted  at  three  thousand  dollars  a  year 
salary,  but  never  removed  to  Portland. 

This  year  of  1857  is  remembered  as  the  year 
of  the  great  financial  crash.  It  was  anything 
but  a  crash  to  Mr.  Blaine.  He  had  sold  his 
paper,  which  he  had  brought  into  a  leading  po- 
sition in  state  journalism,  at  a  large  advance, 
made  a  profitable  investment  of  his  funds,  gone 
on  a  salary  of  the  first-class,  for  the  time,  and 
also  been  nominated  and  elected  a  member  of 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE. 


the  state  legislature,  as  one  of  the  two  repre- 
sentatives of  the  city  of  Augusta. 

His  popularity  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  at  the 
time  of  this  seeming  break-up,  when  if  he  had 
been  a  machine  man  with  insatiable  political  as- 
pirations he  would  certainly  have  held  on  to  his 
paper,  and  parted  with  it  at  no  price,  he  art- 
lessly sells  out  and  enters  business  about  eighty 
miles  from  home.  But  the  people  wanted  him. 
He  would  not  leave  their  midst.  He  had  served 
the  cause  of  his  espousal  with  ability  and  fidel- 
ity for  three  years,  and  the  time  had  come  to 
honor  him. 

It  is  not  often  that  a  man  so  young  comes 
into  an  old  established  state,  and  in  a  time  so 
brief  makes  for  himself  a  name  and  a  place  so 
large. 

It  is  only  needful  to  read  over  the  files  of 
that  paper  from  the  first  hour  his  pen  touched 
it  to  see  that  he  had  made  for  himself  a  place 
so  large.  He  had  put  himself  into  its  columns, 
and  so  into  the  life  both  of  the  state  and  the 
nation.  He  lived,  and  thought,  and  wrought 
for  that  paper.  That  was  the  instrument  of  his 
power.  The  bold  thunder  of  artillery  is  heard 
along  its  columns  ;  the  charge  of  cavalry  and 
the  sweep  of  infantry  are  seen  and  felt  upon  its 
pages.  There  is  push,  and  dash,  and  rush,  and 
swing,  and  hurrah  along  the  whole  battle-line 


130  PIKE    TO    POTOMAC. 

where  he  stood  and  fought  through  those  years. 
It  was  a  manly  fight.  He  stood  squarely  to  the 
line.  It  was  all  upon  the  broad  scale  of  the 
nation's  existence  and  welfare.  He  spoke  the 
truth  as  such ;  he  had  no  dreams  to  tell. 

He  took  no  vacation,  but  summer  and  winter 
was  at  his  post.  In  July  and  August  there  is 
no  relaxation,  but  the  same  dash  of  breakers  on 
the  shore.  No  wonder  he  was  in  demand  else- 
'where,  and  the  fee  was  large.  He  was  a  busi- 
ness success,  and  had  made  a  success  of  poli- 
tics thus  far.  The  first  Republicans  of  Maine 
had  gone  into  office  mid  the  glow  of  his 
genius,  and  now  his  turn  had  come.  It  was  a 
weekly  before,  but  now  it  was  a  daily,  and  a 
seat  in  the  legislature  to  fill  beside.  But  he 
was  abreast  of  the  times,  a  full  man,  a  large 
man,  with  immense  capabilities  of  work,  and  a 
strong,  tenacious  memory,  or  he  could  never 
have  done  the  work  of  two  men  steadily,  and 
four  men  much  of  the  time,  and  a  man  destined 
for  leadership.  He  took  to  Portland  all  his 
powers,  and  soon  was  felt  as  fire  is  felt,  or  the 
rising  sun,  for  foes  and  friends  learned  speedily 
of  his  presence.  Every  day  was  a  field-day  in 
politics  then.  It  was  a  political  revival  all  the 
year  round.  No  ponds  or  pools  were  visible. 
There  were  currents  in  every  stream.  There 
was  a  mighty  flood  to  the  tides.  The  states 


IN   THE    LEGISLATURE. 


were  raising  men  and  building  characters.  They 
were  mining  gold  and  minting  it.  Life  then 
was  a  Bessemer  steel-process  ;  the  heat  was  in- 
tense, and  hydraulic  pressure  drove  out  all  im- 
purities. The  great  columbiads  that  did  the 
execution  were  cast  before  the  war;  they  were 
large  of  calibre  and  deep  of  bore,  and  thor- 
oughly rifled,  for  it  was  the  men  who  manned 
the  guns  in  war  times  who  made  the  guns  man 
the  rebellion. 

The  clouds  are  drawing  water  and  marshaling 
forces  for  the  sweep  of  a  mighty  storm,  —  the  storm 
of  a  righteous  judgment,  of  a  holy  justice.  It  was 
God's  storm  and  must  come.  Already  the  light- 
ning played  furiously  along  the  sky,  and  mutter- 
ings  of  thunder  could  be  distinctly  heard.  The 
air  grew  thick,  and  heavy,  and  dark.  All  signs 
were  ominous.  From  throne  to  cloud,  and  cloud 
to  brain,  and  brain  to  pen,  the  electric  current 
flew.  Men  were  thinking  the  thoughts  of  God. 
They  were  being  filled  with  his  vision  and  armed 
with  his  purpose.  No  times  were  grander  since 
men  had  pledged  their  lives,  and  fortunes,  and 
sacred  honor  at  the  shrine  of  Liberty,  for  its 
perpetuation  ;  and  now  their  sons  from  heights  of 
manhood  just  as  lofty,  were  breathing  the  same 
spirit  and  plighting  the  same  faith.  How  men 
stretch  upward  to  a  kingly  height  when  such 
grand  occasions  come,  or  wither  and  waste  like 


I32  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

froth     on    the     billows     that     charge     along     the 
shore ! 

It  was  promotion  to  rank  of  greater  influence 
when  Mr.  Blaine  took  his  sceptre  of  power  in 
Portland.  Six  times  a  week  instead  of  once,  he 
went  out  in  teeming  editorials  to  the  people. 
Every  department  of  the  paper  was  enriched  and 
felt  the  thrill  of  his  presence.  He  was  a  grad- 
uate in  journalism  now.  Its  ways  were  all  famil- 
iar. His  study  of  it  and  experience  had  brought 
him  the  ability  of  hard,  rapid  work.  It  was  the 
testimony  of  his  old  associate  at  Augusta,  that 
he  would  go  at  once  to  the  core  of  a  subject, 
and  get  the  wheat  out  of  the  chaff.  The  be- 
ginning and  ending  of  an  article,  he  said,  were 
its  heavy  parts,  and  Mr.  Blaine  knew  just  where 
to  look,  whether  in  newspaper,  review,  or  book. 

He  always  found  what  he  wanted,  and  so  was 
always  armed  to  the  teeth  with  fact  and  inci- 
dent, with  argument  and  illustration.  He  had 
the  eye  and  ear  and  pen  of  the  true  journalist. 

Some  men  have  a  peculiar  faculty  for  getting 
at  what  is  going  on.  They  seem  to  know  by 
instinct.  It  is  not  always  told  them,  but  they 
are  good  listeners,  as  all  great  men  are.  They 
are  men  of  great  industry ;  search  and  research 
are  ever  the  order  with  them. 

Some  men   are   sound  asleep  when  the  decisive- 
hours  of  life  are  passing;  others  seem  ever  awake. 


THE    LEGISLATURE.  133 


It  is  this  ability  to  sec,  and  hear,  and  feel,  to 
catch  and  ever  know,  that  has  made  Mr.  Blaine 
a  living  centre  of  the  political  intelligence  of  his 
time.  As  a  student  of  history  he  had  learned 
the  ways  of  men  and  nations,  the  policies  of 
governments,  and  the  methods  of  their  execution, 
their  meteorology,  mineralogy,  and  ways  of  navi- 
gation, —  for  nations  have  all  of  these,  political 
weather,  materials  of  construction,  together  with 
tides  and  currents  in  their  affairs,  besides  rocks 
and  reefs  and  coasts  of  danger.  The  right  ways 
are  always  the  great  ways,  the  light  the  best 
ways. 

All  the  light  of  any  subject  comes  from  the 
truth  it  holds  within,  and  the  man  of  mastery 
is  the  man  of  light  and  life  and  energy.  It  is  un- 
filled capacity  that  makes  of  so  many  the  sound- 
ing brass  and  tinkling  cymbal.  Unfed,  untrained, 
and  unworked  minds  have  filled  the  world  with 
wrecks. 

Mr.  Blaine  is  climbing  the  ladder  now.  Com- 
ing up  out  of  the  ranks,  as  some  must  come,  with 
worth  or  worthlessness. 

"  Heaven  is  not  reached  by  a  single  bound, 
But  we  climb  the  ladder  by  which  we  rise." 

It  was  General  Taylor's  great  difficulty  in 
Mexico  to  bring  on  a  battle.  4  This  at  times  re- 
quires the  ablest  generalship;  but  this  he  finally 
succeeded  in  doing  at  Buena  Vista,  and  so  ere- 


134  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

ated  the  occasion  of  his  greatest  victory.  This 
was  a  power  in  the  tactics  of  Mr.  Elaine.  He 
was  never  afraid  to  attack,  and  never  out  of  am- 
munition, however  long  the  siege  or  strong  the 
foe. 

Soon  after  he  entered  the  legislature  Mr. 
Elaine  encountered  Ephraim  K.  Smart,  one  of  the 
greatest  men  of  his  party,  a  man  who  had  been 
in  congress,  and  afterward  was  twice  their  can- 
didate for  governor.  While  in  congress  he  had 
opposed  the  extension  of  slavery  in  Kansas,  and 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  which 
limited  slavery  to  the  Southern  states ;  but  now, 
during  the  Buchanan  regime,  when  the  party 
seemed  hopelessly  sold  to  slavery,  he  went  back 
on  his  record,  swore  by  the  party,  and  stood  by 
its  record,  regardless  of  his  own. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  thoroughly  posted,  and  when 
the  time  came  turned  it  against  him  in  debate. 
It  was  a  time  of  danger  at  the  nation's  capital ; 
assaults  were  frequent,  thrilling  scenes  were  en- 
acted everywhere.  Each  hour  brought  the  coun- 
try nearer  the  verge  of  war.  Our  man  was  fear- 
less and  he  was  strong,  —  strong  in  the  right, 
strong  in  his  knowledge  of  the  situation,  strong 
in  the  command  of  his  powers ;  so  with  his  ever 
aggressive  spirit  of  true  progress,  he  hurled  his 
lance.  With  a  merciless  skill  he  unfolded  the 
history  of  the  man,  with  all  of  its  inconsisten- 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE.  135 

cies,  sophistry,  and  contradiction,  and  reaching 
the  climax  he  held  it  up  to  view,  and  advancing 
towards  him  (his  name  was  Ephraim),  he  said, 
with  great  dramatic  power,  "  Ephraim  is  a  cake 
unturned,  and  we  propose  to  turn  him." 

Imagine  if  you  can  the  bewildered  consterna- 
tion of  the  man  !  It  was  one  of  Mr.  Elaine's 
first  triumphs  in  the  house,  and  a  stride  toward 
the  speaker's  chair. 

With  this  same  spirit  and  power  he  did  his 
work  at  Portland.  His  position  afforded  him  the 
best  opportunity  for  news  of  every  sort,  and  his 
legislative  work  was  largely  in  the  line  of  his 
editorial,  so  that  preparation  for  the  one  was  fit- 
ness for  the  other.  Yet  life  was  full  to  the 
brim.  He  was  a  man  of  immense  vitality,  and 
is  to-day,  as  almost  daily  intercourse  with  him 
can  testify. 

The  first  day  of  his  duties  in  the  legislature 
he  is  appointed  chairman  of  a  committee  of  five 
to  inform  the  newly  elected  governor,  Lot  M. 
Morrill,  of  his  election.  Thus  he  is  recognized 
and  honored  as  the  chief  one,  worthy  to  repre- 
sent the  body  in  the  presence  of  the  governor. 

A  few  days  after,  he  presented  a  long,  well- 
worded  resolution  that  the  house,  in  concurrence 
with  the  senate,  according  to  certain  forms  of 
law  indicated,  proceed,  upon  the  following  Tuesday, 
at  twelve  o'clock,  to  elect  a  United  States  senator 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


to  succeed  Hon.  \Vm.  Pitt  Fessenden,  whose 
term  expired  on  the  fourth  of  March,  of  that 
year.  Also  an  important  resolution  submitting 
an  amendment  of  a  legal  character  to  their  con- 
sideration, thus  showing  that  his  knowledge  of 

*  O  O 

law   was   utilized   by   him   as  a   law-maker. 

As  one  of  the  chairmen  of  the  State  Prison 
committee  of  the  house  he  delivers  a  long 
speech  upon  the  i/th  and  iSth  of  March  in  re- 
ply to  one  delivered  by  the  same  Hon.  E.  R. 
Smart,  who  had  opposed  resolutions  presented  by 
Mr.  Elaine's  committee  upon  improving  the  pres- 
ent prison  and  building  another. 

Mr.  Smart  was  evidently  the  aggressor,  and 
very  much  his  senior  in  age,  but  Mr.  Elaine 
sharply  tells  him  that  large  portions  of  his 
speech  were  irrelevant,  having  been  delivered  the 
night  before  in  a  democratic  meeting  down- 
town ;  calls  him  the  Earl  of  Warwick  to  the 
Democratic  Plantagenets  ;  compares  him,  with 
great  vigor,  to  a  character  in  Gil  Bias,  who  had 
written  a  book  in  support  of  certain  remedies 
sure  to  cure,  and  which,  though  utterly  futile, 
he  argued  with  a  friend  he  must  continue  to 
practice,  because  he  had  written  the  book,  and 
so  Mr.  Smart  must  inflict  his  speech  because  he 
had  written  it. 

Elaine  was  well-armed  ;  had  a  wide  array  of 
statistics  ;  had,  indeed,  been  over  the  ground 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE.  137 

thoroughly  the  year  before  with  the  governor, 
and  written  it  up  for  his  paper,  and  showed 
himself  competent  to  take  care  of  his  committee. 

A  short  time  before  this  he  had  made  a 
handsome  little  speech  in  favor  of  a  resolve  in- 
troduced by  this  same  leader  of  the  Democracy, 
in  which  he  dcsird  a  new  county  formed,  and 
his  own  town  of  Camden  made  the  shire-town, 
and  yet  Mr.  Elaine's  measure,  a  necessity,  and 
for  the  public  good,  is  violently  assailed. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  legislature  prove  this  to  be  a  fact,  that 
Mr.  Elaine  was  a  devoted,  constant,  and  faithful 
member;  that  about  every  motion  he  made  was 
carried ;  and  that  he  ranked  in  ability  as  a 
speaker,  both  in  matter  and  method,  with  the 
best  of  them.  His  three  years'  work  as  an 
editor  had  made  him  well  acquainted  with  its 
members,  and  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
ways  of  the  house,  so  that  he  was  thoroughly 
at  home  in  their  midst,  with  none  of  the  nerv- 
ous diffidence  which  a  new  member  from  the 
country,  however  good  and  honest  he  might  be, 
would  be  very  likely  to  have.  He  spoke  about 
as  he  wrote.  He  had  written  about  five  hun- 
dred good,  solid  editorials  in  the  previous  years, 
as  they  issued  a  tri-weekly  during  the  session 
of  the  legislature,  and  in  reporting  its  doings 
had  caught  the  drift  of  its  operations. 


138  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

Moreover,  he  had  a  good  business  preparation 
for  his  work.  He  had  been  largely  upon  his 
own  resources  for  ten  years,  and  in  the  business 
management  of  his  paper,  and  in  studying  up 
the  business  interests  of  the  city  and  of  the 
state,  he  had  acquired  experience  and  knowledge. 
No  one,  it  would  seem,  can  read  the  record  -of 
his  speeches,  short  and  long,  or  the  motions  he 
made,  resolves  he  offered,  without  being  im- 
pressed that  he  had  a  clear,  strong  way  of 
looking  at  questions.  He  could  tell  the  husk 
from  the  corn  at  a  glance,  and  if  he  had  any- 
thing to  do  with  a  member's  speech  would  tear 
off  the  husk  without  any  ceremony  and  make 
quick  search  for  the  corn. 

But  the  affairs  of  the  country  were  in  a  bad 
way  as  Mr.  Elaine  was  daily  recording  them. 
There  had  been  over  nine  thousand  business 
failures  in  the  country  in  1857  and  1858;  or,  to 
be  exact,  there  were  four  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  thirty-two  in  1857,  and  four  thousand  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  in  1858,  with  a  loss  of 
three  hundred  and  eighty-seven  million  four  hun- 
dred and  ninety-nine  thousand  six  hundred  and 
sixty-two  dollars,  a  sum  in  those  days  of  enor- 
mous proportion.  Slave-holders,  who  had  the 
power  then,  were  urging  the  purchase  of  Cuba, 
at  a  cost  of  two  hundred  million  dollars,  for 
the  purposes  of  slavery. 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE.  139 

The  country  seemed  to  be  at  a  stand-still,  or 
going  backwards.  The  state  of  Vermont  had  in- 
creased in  population  but  one  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  in  ten  years,  from  1850  to 
1860. 

Senators  Crittenden,  of  Kentucky,  and  Seward, 
of  New  York,  had  a  passage  of  words  in  the 
senate,  and  apologized. 

Fessenden  had  been  re-elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  New  Hampshire  had  gone 
Republican. 

But  Stephen  A.  Douglas  had  beaten  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  the  senate  from  Illinois  by  a  vote 
of  fifty-eight  to  forty-four,  and  Seward  had  in- 
troduced his  famous  bill  for  the  repression  of 
the  slave  trade,  just  to  bring  the  Southern  sen- 
ators into  position  on  that  subject,  and  this  only 
a  year  before  Lincoln  was  nominated.  It  pro- 
vided for  ten  steamers,  as  a  part  of  the  navy, 
to  cruise  along  the  coast  of  Africa,  as  the 
president  might  direct. 

About  this  time  Oregon  is  admitted  as  the 
second  state  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Mr.  Elaine  deals  with  all  the  questions  of  the 
day  with  skill  and  effectiveness.  A  municipal 
election  is  going  on  in  Portland,  and  Mr.  Blaine 
does  his  part  by  tongue  and  pen  to  aid  in 
achieving  a  Republican  victory,  which  is  tri- 
umphantly accomplished  just  as  the  legislature  is 


I4O  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

closing.  But  Mr.  Elaine  has  time  to  deliver  his 
best  speech  of  the  session,  on  Friday  before 
final  adjournment  on  Tuesday,  April  5th,  after  a 
session  of  ninety  days.  Now  he  has  nearly  nine 
solid  months  of  straight  editorial  work.  The  one 
great  object  is  ever  prominent,  —  slavery  must 
go,  or  it  must  be  restricted  and  kept  out  of 
the  territories.  The  country  is  in  great  commo- 
tion ;  state  after  state  fights  out  its  battles  and 
wheels  into  line.  In  border  states,  especially, 
political  revolutions  arc  taking  place.  The  gos- 
pel of  Liberty  is  taking  the  place  of  the  hard 
political  doctrines  of  pro-slavery  Democracy.  Mr. 
Elaine  has  to  fire  at  long  range,  so  efficiently 
has  the  work  been  done  at  home,  but  it  is 
cheering  to  see  the  beacons  lighted  along  the 
coast  of  Maine,  and  to  know  that  the  bonfires 
are  lighted  all  over  the  state.  Men  have  already 
been  trained  and  gone  forth  to  do  yeoman  ser- 
vice in  other  states.  The  Washburns  are  in 
Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota,  while  Israel 
Washburn,  Jr.,  has  just  been  elected  governor 
of  the  home  state. 

In  1860  Mr.  Elaine  is  elected  speaker  of  the 
House,  although  his  colleague,  William  T.  John- 
son, of  Augusta,  was  speaker  the  year  before. 
The  singular  popularity  of  the  man  is  thus 
demonstrated,  as  he  takes  the  chair,  escorted  to 
it  by  his  defeated  competitor;  his  words  are 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE. 


few     but      in     the     best     of     taste.       Mr.     Elaine 
said, — 

"  GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  : 

"  I  accept  the  position  you  assign  me  with  a  due 
appreciation,  I  trust,  of  the  honor  it  confers  and 
the  responsibility  it  imposes.  In  presiding  over  your 
deliberations  it  shall  be  my  faithful  endeavor  to  ad- 
minister the  parliamentary  rules  in  such  manner  that 
the  rights  of  minorities  shall  be  protected,  the  con- 
stitutional will  of  majorities  enforced,  and  the  com- 
mon weal  effectively  promoted.  In  this  labor  I  am 
sure  I  shall  not  look  in  vain  for  your  forbearance  as 
well  as  your  cordial  co-operation.  I  am  ready,  gen- 
tlemen, to  proceed  with  the  business  of  the  House." 

He  is  in  a  position  of  power  and  influence 
now ;  he  is  in  the  third  office  of  the  state. 
His  ability  will  be  tested ;  great  presence  of 
mind,  quickness  of  decision,  tact,  and  skill  are 
needful.  But  he  is  ready  and  at  his  ease.  He 
has  the  knowledge  requisite,  and  experience 
seems  born  of  the  man.  He  fits  wherever  placed. 
He  must  know  each  member,  and  he  knows 
them ;  he  must  t>e  just,  and  fair,  and  honorable, 
and  he  is  all  of  these  by  virtue  of  a  broad, 
generous  nature. 

Mr.  Elaine  is  speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives of  the  state  of  Maine,  not  because 
of  any  one  good  quality,  —  he  is  excelled  in  sin- 
gle qualities  by  many  another,  —  but  because  of  a 


I42  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


large  combination  of  good  qualities,  and  these, 
cultivated  to  a  high  degree.  This  it  is  that 
wins  ;  many  a  face  is  beautiful  in  some  one  or 
more  of  its  features,  but  so  distorted  in  others 
that  the  effect  is  bad,  and  beauty,  which  is  the 
harmonious  blending  of  many  lines  upon  the 
canvas  or  features  on  the  face,  is  lost.  Charac- 
ter is  the  restoration  of  moral  order  in  the  in- 
dividual ;  let  this  be  broken  by  some  defect, 
omission,  or  failure,  some  secret  or  overt  act, 
and  the  harmony  is  lost,  and  a  once  fair  char- 
acter is  marred. 

Thus  it  is  not  so  much  the  symmetry  as  the 
large  and  splendid  combination  of  talents  and 
genius  which  make  him  what  he  is.  He  simply 
does  his  best,  and  keeps  himself  at  his  best  all 
the  time.  He  anticipates  every  occasion,  and 
has  forces  in  reserve  all  the  time,  and  they  are 
brought  forward,  if  his  tactics  are  not  known,  very 
unexpectedly.  The  most  telling  points  in  all  his 
earlier  speeches  are  not  brought  out  at  first, 
and  when  they  do  appear  you  wonder  why  he  did 
not  produce  them  before,  and  *this  very  wonder 
increases  its  power  on  you.  This  is  rather  a 
necessity,  it  would  seem,  because  there  is  point 
and  pith,  and  power  all  through. 

A  great  year  of  destiny  is  before  the  nation ; 
a  mighty,  conquering  battle-year.  Slavery  refuses 
any  concessions,  and  Liberty  loves  itself  too  well 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE.  143 

to  be  compromised.  The  great  convention  of 
Republicans  in  the  old  wigwam  in  Chicago  is  an 
event  of  so  great  importance  that  all  minor 
events  dwindle  before  it.  James  G.  Blaine  is 
there. 

Excitement  is  at  the  highest  pitch.  The  tone 
and  temper  of  the  North  is  felt  and  feared. 
The  old  Democratic  party  is  shattered  into  frag- 
ments. It  has  several  wings,  but  no  body.  The 
Union  seems  on  the  verge  of  dissolution.  But 
strong  men,  tried  and  true,  who  cannot  be 
brow-beaten  and  crushed ;  men  who  have  not 
been  deceived  or  intimidated,  or  despoiled  of 
their  convictions  since  the  Whig  party  sold  out 
to  Slavery  in  1852;  men  who  have  waited  eigh- 
teen long,  eventful  years  for  the  iron  to  get 
hot  enough  to  strike,  are  there ;  there  in  their 
power;  there,  not  to  become  demoralized,  and 
drop  their  guns  and  run,  but  to  stand  firm  and 
strong  in  a  mighty  phalanx,  and  do  tremendous 
battle  for  tremendous  right  against  tremendous 
wrong. 

William  H.  Seward  is  the  choice  of  men,  but 
Abraham  Lincoln  is  the  choice  of  God.  He  has 
been  fitting  and  training  him  for  half  a  century, 
much  as  he  trained  Moses,  the  great  leader  and 
emancipator  of  his  ancient  people.  They  try  in 
vain  to  elect  their  man.  The  way  is  hedged 
up;  ballot  after  ballot  is  taken,  but  it  cannot 


144  PIKE    TO    POTOMAC. 

be  done.  Finally,  the  moment  comes,  and  "hon- 
est old  Abe "  is  crowned  by  the  hand  of  a  re- 
markable Providence,  and  God's  will  is  done. 

Men  shake  their  heads,  but  high  yonder  on 
his  throne  the  King  does  his  thinking.  All  is 
clear  to  him.  Well  nigh  a  century  of  prayer 
is  to  be  answered. 

Mr.  Elaine's  description  of  the  sessions  and 
impressions  at  Chicago,  make  the  great,  inspiring 
scenes  live  before  the  imagination,  and  show  how 
his  broad,  eager  mind  took  it  all  in. 

Ten  of  the  Maine  delegation  were  for  Seward, 
and  six  for  Lincoln.  A  meeting  was  called,  and 
an  effort  made  by  the  Seward  men  to  win  the 
Lincoln  delegates  to  their  side.  Wm.  H.  Evarts 
was  then  in  his  prime,  and  was-  called  in  to  make 
the  speech.  He  spoke  for  forty-five  minutes,  and 
his  speech,  it  was  said,  was  "a  string  of  pearls." 
Mr.  Elaine  stood  just  behind  him,  and  though 
greatly  delighted  with  the  beauty  and  brilliancy 
of  the  address,  remained  a  firm  Lincoln  man  to 
the  end. 

He  had  no  vote  then,  but  he  had  a  voice  and 
a  pen.  From  that  time  he  was  a  great  admirer 
and  friend  of  Mr.  Evarts.  This  convention  greatly 
enlarged  Mr.  Elaine's  knowledge  of  men  and  ac- 
quaintance with  them. 

The  party  in  the  four  years  since  Fremont  and 
Dayton  had  been  nominated  at  Philadelphia,  un- 


IN    THE   LEGISLATURE.  145 

der  the  goading  provocations  of  Buchanan's  ad- 
ministration, the  frequent  exhibition  of  the  horns 
and  hoofs  of  Slavery,  and  the  unwearied  agitation 
in  congress,  and  in  every  state,  county,  and  town 
of  the  North,  the  East,  and  the  West,  had  made 
a  sturdy,  constant,  determined  growth,  a  develop- 
ment of  back-bone,  and  a  kindling  of  nerve  that 
imparted  courage  and  sent  joy  to  the  heart. 

It  brought  into  the  life  of  Mr.  Elaine,  more 
than  ever,  the  life  and  grandeur,  the  power  and 
greatness  of  the  party  to  which  he  had  wedded 
his  destiny,  giving  his  hand  and  his  heart.  He 
was  in  complete  sympathy  with  every  principle 
and  every  measure. '  No  man  living  more  fully, 
and  clearly,  and  strongly,  represents  the  ideas  and 
purposes  of  the  men  then  at  the  front, — the  lead- 
ing men  to  whom  was  entrusted  the  guidance 
and  responsibility,  for  he  himself  was  then  at  the 
front,  —  than  does  he. 

He  is,  and  has  been,  right  through,  the  de- 
fender and  conservator  of  all  that  was  dear,  and 
precious,  and  grand,  then.  Few  men  did  more  to 
help  elect  Mr.  Lincoln,  or  to  make  his  adminis- 
tration a  power  in  the  North.  He  was  under  fire 
constantly,  but  then  he  was  firing  constantly  him- 
self, and  doing  execution  that  told  every  hour  for 
the  nation's  good. 

The  North  was  surely  aroused  as  never  before, 
on  fire  with  a  great  and  mighty  excitement  that 


146  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

rolled  in  waves  and  billows  from  ocean  to  lake, 
and  lake  to  gulf.  There  was  no  general  on  the 
side  of  Slavery  that  could  command  all  the  forces. 
It  had  come  to  be  in  fact  a  house  divided  against 
itself.  Their  convention  at  Charleston  was  broken 
up,  and  Mr.  Douglas  nominated  at  Baltimore,  and 
two  other  candidates,  Breckenridge  and  Bell,  else- 
where. The  serpent  seemed  stinging  itself  to 
death.  But  in  the  great  party  of  the  North 
there  is  a  solid  front,  no  waver  along  the  entire 
line.  They  simply  fight  their  great  political  bat- 
tle after  the  true  American  style  of  the  Fathers, 
in  a  most  just  and  righteous  manner,  and  for  a 
cause  most  just  aChd  righteous. 

Mr.  Blaine  was  on  the  stump,  as  he  had  been 
the  year  before,  making  speeches  that  the  people 
loved  to  hear.  The  campaign  usually  closed  in 
Maine  in  September,  when  the  state  officers  were 
elected,  and  as  the  convention  in  Chicago  was 
held  in  May,  they  had  but  three  months  to  do 
the  work  that  other  states  did  in  five  months. 
Owing  to  the  illness  of  his  old  friend  and  busi- 
ness partner,  he  edited  the  Kennebec  Journal  for 
five  or  six  months  during  the  summer  and  au- 
tumn of  1860,  so  that  he  was  back  upon  his  old 
ground  during  the  great  campaign,  sitting  at  the 
same  desk. 

The  people  loved  him,  and  he  loved  them. 
"  Send  us  Blaine,"  would  come  from  all  over  the 


h\T    THE    LEGISLATURE.  1 47 

state.  "We  must  have  him,  we  will  have  him." 
And  he  would  go.  It  seemed  as  if  he  would  go 
farther,  do  more,  and  get  back  quicker  than  any 
other  man,  and  seemingly  remember  everybody. 

Ex-Gov.  Anson  P.  Morrill,  his  old  political 
friend  and  neighbor  says,  "  I  would  go  out  and 
address  perhaps  an  acre  of  people,  and  be  intro- 
duced to  a  lot  of  them,  and  like  enough,  in  six 
months  or  a  year,  along  would  come  a  man  and 
say,  '  How  are  you  ?  Don't  you  know  me  ?'  and 
I  would  say  'No,'  and  then  the  man  would  turn 
and  go  off;  but  Elaine  would  know  him  as  soon 
as  he  saw  him  coming,  and  say,  '  Hello,'  and  call 
him  by  name  right  off. 

"There,"  he  said,  and  he  laid  his  gold-bowed 
spectacles  on  the  table,  and  continued,  "a  little 
better  than  a  year  ago  he  was  in  here,  and  we 
sat  at  this  table,  and  the  spectacles  laid  there, 
and  he  took  them  up  and  said,  as  he  looked  at 
them  closely,  '  If  those  are  not  the  very  same 
gold-bowed  spectacles  you  bought  in  Philadelphia 
in  1856.' 

" '  Why,  how  do  you  know  ? '  I  asked  in  sur- 
prise. 

" '  Why  I  was  with  you,  and  you  bought  them 
at  such  a  place  on  such  a  street.' 

"And  that,"  said  the  governor,  "was  twenty-six 
years  before.  Now  did  you  ever  hear  of  any- 
thing like  that  ?  I  did  n't.  Why,  I  'd  even  for- 


PL\E    TO    POTOMAC. 


gotten  that  he  was  there.  I  tell  you  that  beat 
me;  and  I  asked  him  'what  made  you  think  of 
it  now?' 

"'O,  I  don't  know,'  said  Mr.  Elaine,  'I  just 
happened  to  see  them  lying  there,  and  thought 
of  it.' 

"Well,  it  must  be  a  good  thing  for  you  to  re- 
member things  that  way." 

"And  he  simply  replied,  without  any  boasting, 
or  in  a  way  to  make  his  honored  friend  feel 
that,  he  felt  his  superior  faculty  in  the  least,  — 

"'O,  yes,  it   is,   at   times.'" 

Gov.  A.  P.  Morrill  is  a  fine  sample  of  a  real 
down-east  Yankee,  of  the  old  style  ;  a  man  of 
sterling  worth  and  integrity,  and  of  the  hardest 
of  common  sense,  and  takes  a  special  pride  in 
Mr.  Elaine,  as  he  was  at  one  time  of  great  as- 
sistance to  him  in  a  political  way. 

"The  first  time  I  saw  Elaine,"  he  said,  "was 
the  night  before  my  inauguration  ;  he  called  at 
my  hotel  and  wanted  a  copy  of  my  address.  He 
was  simply  a  young  man  then,  very  pleasant  in 
his  manner.  But  how  he  has  grown.  Yes,  that 
is  the  secret  of  it  ;  he  has  been  a  growing  man 
ever  since,  and  so  he  has  come  right  up  and 
gone  right  along." 

His  own  re-election  to  the  legislature  is  a  mi- 
nor matter  in  the  campaign  of  '60,  in  compari- 
son with  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln  president. 


IN   THE   LEGISLATURE.  149 

As  this  state  votes  earlier  than  many  of  the 
others,  the  effort  is  to  roll  up  a  large  majority, 
and  have  great  gains,  so  as  to  carry  moral  power 
with  it,  and  thus  encourage  other  states  who  are 
standing  with  them  in  the  contest. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  position  of  parties 
or  presidential  candidates  at  this  time.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln would  prohibit  by  law  the  extension  of  slav- 
ery. This  was  exactly  the  position  of  the  can- 
didate with  him  for  vice-president,  the  Hon.  Han- 
nibal Hamlin,  a  strong  friend  of  Mr.  Elaine. 

Mr.  Hamlin  had  originally  been  a  Democrat  of 
the  Andrew  Jackson  type,  but  when  the  Mis- 
souri Compromise,  which  prohibited  the  extension 
of  slavery,  was  repealed,  he  entered  the  Repub- 
lican party  at  its  formation,  and  as  candidate 
for  governor  in  Maine  in  1856,  was  a  powerful 
factor  in  breaking  down  the  Democratic  party. 

Mr.  Breckenridge  would  extend  slavery  by  law, 
and  was  of  course  the  slave-holders  candidate. 
Douglas,  the  candidate  of  the  Northern  Demo- 
crats, would  not  interfere ;  simply  do  nothing  to 
procure  for  slavery  other  portions  of  the  fair 
domain  of  Liberty  to  despoil.  This,  of  course 
made  him  unpopular  in  the  South,  where  the 
demand  was  for  more  states  to  conquer  for  our 
"peculiar  institution."  The  cry  of  the  Douglas 
Democrats,  —  and  they  counted  their  wide-awakes 
by  the  thousand,  who  marched  with  torch  and 


ISO  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

drum,  —  "The  Constitution  as  it  is,  and  the 
Union  as  it  was."  The  Bell  and  Everett  faction 
were  simply  for  saving  the  Union  without  telling 
how. 

What  a  field  these  four  great  armies,  each 
with  its  chosen  leader,  occupied,  and  each  con- 
ducting a  hot,  fierce  campaign,  determined  to 
win,  and  determined  to  believe  they  would  win. 
Slavery  was  the  great  disturbing  element.  It 
was  all  a  question  of  how  to  deal  with  this 
monster. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected,  and  Elaine  was  again 
on  the  winning  side. 

But  Mr.  Elaine  had  another  great  interest  in 
the  political  campaign  of  this  year.  A  Mr. 
Morse,  of  Bath,  had  been  in  congress  from 
another  part  of  the  third  Maine  district,  in  which 
Augusta  is  located,  and  it  was  thought  time  for 
a  change,  and  Gov.  A.  P.  Morrill  wanted  Elaine 
to  run,  but  Morse  was  a  strong  man  and  Elaine 
was  young,  and  a  new  man  comparatively,  and 
though  he  was  speaker  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, he  thought  it  not  prudent  at  that 
time  to  subject  himself  to  such  a  test.  "Fools 
rush  in  where  Angels  fear  to  tread." 

Mr.  Elaine  was  in  a  good  position,  and  grow- 
ing rapidly,  and  so  he  urged  the  strong  and 
sagacious  governor  to  try  it  himself,  and  Elaine 
went  into  the  campaign  and  helped  achieve  the 


IN    THE   LEGISLATURE. 


victory,  —  for  victory  it  was  by  seven  thousand 
majority. 

Mr.  Elaine,  it  would  seem,  who  possessed  an 
instinct  for  journalism  so  wonderful  and  fine, 
possessed  one  equally  well-developed  for  politics. 
He  well-knew  that  his  rapid  promotion  would 
awaken  jealousies,  prejudice,  and  envy,  and  also 
that  he  needed  and  must  have  time  to  grow. 
There  was  one  at  least  in  the  state  legislature 
who  had  been  in  congress,  and  he  did  not  wish 
to  "advance  backward,"  as  the  colored  servant 
of  the  rebel  General  Buckner  called  it. 

Mr.  Elaine  is  a  man  of  caution  and  carefulness, 
because  he  is  a  man  of  great  thoughtfulness  and 
deliberation.  When  he  has  thought  a  subject 
through,  and  it  is  settled,  and  he  feels  just  right, 
he  is  ready,  and  his  courage  rises,  and  so  he 
moves  with  great  power  and  determination.  If 
the  action  seems  rash  to  any,  it  is  because 
they  are  not  informed  upon  a  subject  upon  which 
he  is  conversant. 

Mr.  Elaine  had  seen  his  man  nominated  at 
Chicago,  and  triumphantly  elected  over  a  stupen- 
dous, well-organized,  and  desperate  opposition.  He 
himself  is  returned  to  the  legislature.  His  friend, 
Ex-Gov.  A.  P.  Morrill,  is  secured  for  congress,  and 
Israel  Washburn,  Jr.,  a  grand  Republican,  elected 
governor  over  the  man  who  felt  and  learned  to 
fear  the  power  of  Mr.  Elaine  in  the  legislature 


IS2  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

the  year  before,  Ephraim  K.  Smart.  But,  not- 
withstanding all  of  these  triumphs,  and  the  pro- 
spective cleansing  and  regeneration  of  the  country, 
the  present  condition  is  most  appalling. 

Secession  is  the  chief  topic  throughout  the 
South,  and  in  every  debating  society  in  every 
college,  and  in  every  lyceum  in  every  town  or 
city,  the  question  is  being  discussed  with  the 
greatest  warmth,  "  Can  a  Southern  state  secede  ?" 
or  "Can  the  government  coerce  a  state?"  The  old 
doctrine  of  state  rights  and  state  sovereignty  is 
the  form  of  the  topic  in  other  quarters. 

With  many  the  question  was  clear  on  the  ask- 
ing of  it ;  with  others  the  constitutional  powers 
of  self-preservation,  of  self-existence,  and  self-per- 
petuation had  to  be  presented  with  the  arguments 
and  the  acumen  of  a  statesman.  Perhaps  Mr. 
Elaine,  as  an  editor,  never  dealt  with  a  question 
in  a  more  masterly  way.  It  was  the  question 
of  the  hour  continually  forcing  itself  upon  at- 
tention. 

It  was  the  constant  assertion  of  the  Southern 
press  that  they  would.  They  believed  all  sorts 
of  unkind  things  about  the  great  and  kindly 
Lincoln.  The  fact  is,  the  South  had  never  be- 
fore been  defeated  in  a  contest  for  the  presi- 
dency when  slavery  was  involved  in  the  issue. 
This  was  their  pet  and  idol.  They  would  guard 
it  at  all  hazards.  Fanaticism  they  regarded  as 


IN    THE    LEGISLATURE.  153 


the  animus  of  the  anti-slavery  movement,  and 
an  abolitionist  to  them  was  a  malefactor. 

A  grave  responsibility  now  was  on  those  who 
"broke  down  the  adjustments  of  1820,  and  of 
1850."  But  the  year  was  closing,  and  the  glare 
of  a  contest  more  fierce  than  that  through  which 
we  had  passed,  was  on  the  nation.  It  seemed 
inevitable.  They  had  grown  so  narrow,  intoller- 
ant,  and  cruel,  that  the  light  of  present  politi- 
cal truth  did  not  penetrate  them. 

"Southern  statesmen  of  the  highest  rank,"  said 
Mr.  Elaine,  "looked  upon  British  emancipation  in 
the  West  Indies  as  designedly  hostile  to  the 
prosperity  and  safety  of  their  own  section,  and  as 
a  plot  for  the  ultimate  destruction  of  the  Re- 
public." They  were  suspicious,  and  filled  with 
alarm ;  and  it  was  needless,  as  the  action  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  in  proclaiming  emancipation  was 
only  when,  in  the  second  year  of  the  war,  it 
was  necessary. 

The  era  of  peace  seems  breaking  with  the 
hand  of  cruel  war.  It  was  night  to  them,  but  a 
glorious  day  to  us. 

We  close  this  chapter  with  this  fresh,  new 
poem  of  the  time,  by  Whittier. 

At  a  time  when  it  was  rumored  that  armed 
men  were  drilling  by  the  thousands  in  Virginia 
and  Maryland,  for  the  invasion  of  Washington 
before  February,  so  as  to  prevent  the  announce- 


154  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

ment  in  congress  of  Lincoln's  election,  in  the 
same  issue  of  the  Kennebcc  Journal,  was  a  poem 
by  John  G.  Whittier,  closing  with  these  lines :  — 

*'  The  crisis  presses  on  us ;    face  to  face  with  us  it  stands, 
With  solemn  lips  of  question,  like  the  sphinx  in  Egypt's  sands  1 
This  day  we  fashion  Destiny,  our  web  of  Fate  we  spin; 
This  day  for  all  hereafter  choose  we  holiness  or  sin ; 
Even  now  from  starry  Gerizim,  or  Ebal's  cloudy  crown, 
We  call  the  dews  of  blessing,  or  the  bolts  of  cursing  down. 

"By  all  for  which  the  Martyrs  bore  their  agony  and  shame; 
By  all  the  warning  words  of  truth  with  which  the  prophets  came; 
By  the  future  which  awaits  us ;   by  all  the  hopes  which  cast 
Their  faint  and  trembling  beams  across  the  blackness  of  the  Past ; 
And  in  the  awful  name  of  Him  who  for  earth's  freedom  died; 
Oh,  ye  people  I  Oh,  my  brothers  I  let  us  choose  the  righteous  side. 

"  So  shall  the  Northern  pioneer  go  joyful  on  his  way, 
To  wed  Penobscot's  waters  to  San  Francisco's  bay; 
To  make  the  rugged  places  smooth,  and  sow  the  vales  of  grain, 
And  bear,  with  Liberty  and  Law,  the  Bible  in  his  train ; 
The  mighty  West  shall  bless  the  earth,  and  sea  shall  answer  sea, 
A  mountain  unto  mountain  calls,   '  Praise  Cod,  for  we  are  freet1" 


VIII. 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE    LEGISLATURE. 


]O  one  read  the  signs  of  the  times  with 
a  clearer  understanding  of  their  signif- 
icance, all  through  the  winter  and 
spring  of  1861,  than  the  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  in  the  Legislature 
of  Maine.  The  great  duties  that  devolved  upon 
him  filled  his  mind  with  every  important  mat- 
ter, but  the  overshadowing  interests  were  all  na- 
tional,—  the  present  and  future  of  the  country. 
They  had  become  accustomed  to  threats  and 
fears ;  this  had  grown  to  be  the  normal  condi- 
tion of  the  public  mind.  But  the  short,  sharp 
question  "What  is  the  latest  from  Charleston, 
Richmond"  and  other  points  of  prominence  and 
activity  in  the  South,  showed  how  squarely  up 
to  the  times  people  of  the  North  were  living; 
how  loyal  and  zealous  for  the  nation  the  masses 
were. 

It  was  a  higher  compliment,   in  times  so   great 
in    their    demands    for    the    profoundest    clelibera- 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


tions  of  the  best  minds,  to  be  put  at  the  head, 
as  the  leader  in  positions  of  greatest  power  in 
the  House. 

Known  and  acknowledged  worth  could  have 
been  the  only  argument  for  an  action  so  per- 
sonal to  the  honor  of  the  state  and  its  power 
in  the  Union,  and  helpfulness  to  the  nation  in 
an  emergency  imminent  with  danger. 

This  man  of  one  and  thirty  is  lifted  over  the 
heads  of  old  and  respected  citizens  of  soundest 
integrity.  Is  it.  an  experiment,  or  do  they  know 
their  man  ?  The  state  has  called  to  the  helm  a 
man  who  has  been  ten  years  in  the  congress  of 
the  United  States  ;  a  man  of  largest  experience 
and  profoundest  wisdom,  nearly  twice  the  age 
of  the  young  speaker.  But  no  mistake  is  made. 
He  read  in  his  youth  books  that  Governor  Mor- 
rill  is  reading  to-day  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  , 
he  has  been  a  college-graduate  for  nearly  four- 
teen years,  and  has  won  his  present  distinction 
upon  the  floor  of  the  house  where  he  now  pre- 
sides. 

His  duties  are  manifold.  He  must  preside 
over  the  deliberations  of  the  House,  be  a  good 
parliamentarian,  prompt  and  accurate  in  his  de- 
cisions, as  well  as  fair  and  impartial.  He  is 
dealing  with  freemen  and  citizens,  and  represen- 
tatives of  the  people  of  the  entire  state.  He 
must  know  every  member,  not  by  name,  and 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      157 

face,  and  location  in  the  House,  but  in  charac- 
teristics and  accomplishments,  all  the  great  in- 
terests of  the  state,  as  a  whole,  of  its  different 
sections,  and  in  its  Federal  relations,  so  that  he 
may  wisely  appoint  the  twenty-one  important 
committees.  He  must  know  the  business,  educa- 
tion, experience,  residence,  and  political'  principles 
of  every  member,  so  that  he  may  know  just 
who  to  appoint  on  banks  and  banking,  on  agri- 
culture, military,  pensions,  manufactures,  library, 
the  judiciary,  the  militia,  education,  etc. 

There  are  one  hundred  and  forty-four  members, 
twenty-three  of  whom  are  Democrats,  and  he 
must  use  them  all.  He  must  select  two  chair- 
men for  each  committee,  and  choose  six  or  eight 
others  to  act  with  them,  putting  some  of  the 
more  valuable  men  on  several  committees, — all 
must  be  treated  with  honor  and  fairness. 

What  did  those  one  hundred  and  forty-four 
men  see  in  James  G.  Elaine,  away  back  in  the 
stormy,  perilous  times  of  1861,  that  led  them  to 
select  him  for  that  high  and  honorable  position? 
lie  had  not  been  a  citizen  of  Maine  six  years, 
and  had  been  in  political  life,  officially,  only 
two  years.  It  was  the  man  they  saw,  strong  and 
splendid,  just  the  man  for  the  hour.  They  felt, 
instinctively,  they  could  trust  him ;  they  knew 
him  to  be  loyal  and  true,  and  capable,  by  the 
testimony  of  all  their  senses.  He  was  quick  and 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


keen,  and  life  itself  in  all  of  energy  and  en- 
deavor; a  born  leader  of  men. 

He  had  no  wealthy  and  influential  friend  by 
his  side,  no  one  to  say  I  have  known  him  fror.i 
childhood,  and  can  recommend  him  as  worthy 
of  all  honor,  and  all  praise.  He  brought  with 
him  simply  the  name  his  mother  gave  him,  with 
no  prefix  and  no  affix.  He  lived  in  no  mansion, 
rode  in  no  carriage,  was  attended  by  no  cour- 
tiers in  livery;  he  had  no  returns  to  make,  no 
promises  to  give.  The  whole  of  him  sat  before 
them,  —  a  refined  and  courteous  gentleman,  an 
elegant  gentleman. 

They  could  not  mistake  the  powerful  combina- 
tion. They  saw  and  felt  its  worth,  and  so  the 
great  party  which  had  just  come  into  power  in 
the  nation  by  electing  its  first  president,  honors 
itself  by  honoring  him. 

His  short-cut  words  of  acceptance  are  uttered. 
The  senate  and  the  new  governor,  Israel  Wash- 
burn,  Jr.,  are  informed  that  the  House  is  organ- 
ized, and  they  proceed  to  business  with  energy 
and  despatch. 

But  the  great  war  for  the  Union  is  coming. 
The  peace  convention  called  by  Virginia  amounts 
to  nothing.  Mr.  Crittenden's  resolutions  are 
futile,  though  most  conventions  adopt  them  in 
Philadelphia  and  elsewhere.  Southern  states  are 
actually  seceding. 


SPEAKER  OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      159 

Mr.  Lincoln  is  choosing  and  announcing  his 
cabinet,  with  Seward  as  his  Premier,  but  treason 
is  rampant  in  the  South,  holding  high  carnival 
in  state  capitals,  and  even  in  the  halls  of  con- 
gress. Mr.  Lincoln  is  on  his  way  to  Washing- 
ton. He  reaches  Philadelphia  on  Feb.  22d,  at 
seven  o'clock ;  is  escorted  to  Independence  Hall, 
where  Theodore  Cuyler,  in  whose  office  Mr. 
Blaine  read  law,  receives  him  with  an  address 
of  welcome,  to  which  Mr.  Lincoln  replied,  and 
"raised  the  national  flag  which  had  been  ad- 
justed in  true  man-of-war  style,  amid  the  cheers 
of  a  great  multitude,  and  the  cheers  were  re- 
peated until  men  were  hoarse." 

While  these  patriotic  cheers  were  resounding 
through  the  old  halls '  of  Independence,  the 
traitorous  secretaries  of  the  navy  and  of  war 
were  sending  vessels  to  southern  ports  and  forts. 
Thirty-three  officers,  among  whom  was  Albert 
Sidney  Johnson,  abandon  their  regiments  of  the 
regular  army  in  Texas,  and  join  the  rebels.  But 
Lincoln  is  inaugurated,  and  the  most  pacific 
measures  employed,  but  all  of  no  avail;  deter- 
mined, desperate  men  are  ruling  the  destiny  of 
the  South. 

The  South  was  in  no  condition  of  want  at 
this  time,  but  rather  in  a  condition  of  pros- 
perity, and  its  proud,  haughty  spirit  seemed 
rather  born  of  luxury  and  extravagance. 


160  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

Mr.  Elaine  has  shown  that  she  had  increased 
in  ten  years  before  the  war  three  thousand  mil- 
lions of  dollars,  and  this  not  from  over-valuation 
of  slaves,  but  from  cultivation  of  the  land  by 
new  and  valuable  appliances  of  agriculture.  One 
state  alone,  —  Georgia,  —  had  increased  in  wealth 
three  hundred  millions  of  dollars.  But  South 
Carolina  had  commenced  in  October, — before  Mr. 
Lincoln's  election  even, — her  correspondence  upon 
the  subject  of  secession.  No  wonder  she  was 
ready  in  the  April  following  to  inaugurate  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion. 

Mr.  Elaine's  life  could  not  be  put  into  the 
nation,  nor  the  life  of  any  strong,  true  man, 
at  a  time  when  it  would  be  more  valuable  than 
now.  Men  were  men  in  earnest.  They  rose  to 
par,  and  some,  by  a  mathematical  process  which 
redoubles  energy  and  intensifies  life,  are  cubed 
or  squared  or  lifted  to  the  hundredth  power;  a 
premium  is  on  them ;  they  are  invaluable. 

The  governor  issues  his  call  for  ten  thousand 
men  from  Maine.  Will  Mr.  Elaine  go  ?  Mr. 
Garfield  is  in  the  state  senate  of  Ohio,  and 
president  of  a  college,  but  he  drops  all  at  once, 
and  is  soon  at  the  front  with  his  regiment. 
His  stay  is  short,  however.  Elected  to  congress, 
by  advice  of  President  Lincoln  he  lays  aside 
the  dress  of  a  major-general  on  Saturday  to 
enter  the  national  House  of  Representatives,  a 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      l6l 


congressman  in  citizen's  dress,  the  following 
Monday. 

What  will  Mr.  Blaine  do?  He  is  speaker  of 
the  House,  and  that  gives  his  name  a  power  in 
the  state.  He  is  wielding  a  powerful  pen  as 
editor  of  the  leading  daily  paper  at  Portland. 
Few  men  in  the  state  have  more  influence ; 
some  must  stay;  the  state  must  be  aroused  and 
electrified ;  an  immense  work  of  organization  is 
to  be  done.  It  is  a  less  conspicuous,  more 
quiet  home-work,  but  it  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance. 

He  stays,  while  many,  like  Garfieleld,  go 
to  return  to  do  the  statesman's  work  and  make 
available  the  resources  of  the  nation,  and 
strengthen  the  hands  of  the  brave  men  at  the 
front. 

This  was  a  work  of  vast  importance  in  the 
conduct  of  the  war.  It  was  power  that  was  felt 
by  both  governor  and  president,  by  army  and 
navy.  Mr.  Blaine  was  on  terms  of  intimacy  with 
the  governor  of  his  state,  —  a  firm  supporter  of 
a  faithful  man.  Very  soon  he  was  instrumental 
in  raising  two  regiments,  and  rallied  thousands 
more  to  the  standard  of  the  Union. 

He  became  at  this  time  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican State  Central  Committee,  and  continued 
in  this  position  for  twenty  years.  He  planned 
every  campaign,  selected  the  speakers,  fixed 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


aates  and  places  for  them,  and  so  arranged  all 
details,  that  no  man  of  his  ever  disappointed  an 
audience.  He  knows  the  time  of  departure  and 
arrival  of  every  train.  He  must  do  his  part  to 
see  that  the  legislature  continues  Republican, 
that  the  governor  and  his  council  are  Repub- 
lican, that  congressmen  and  senators  of  the 
United  States  are  Republican,  and  that  the  war- 
power  of  the  state  is  not  broken. 

The  great  question  for  him  to  aid  largely  in 
settling  is  the  worth  of  the  state  of  Maine  to 
the  nation.  She  must  have  governors  that  are 
in  full  sympathy  with  the  president ;  congressmen 
and  senators  that  uphold  his  administration. 

In  North's  History  of  Augusta,  a  valuable 
work  of  nearly  a  thousand  pages,  it  is  recorded 
of  Mr.  Elaine  that  "probably  no  man  in  Maine 
exerted  a  more  powerful  influence  on  the 
patriotic  course  pursued  than  he.  Ever  active, 
always  watchful,  never  faltering,  he  inspired  con- 
fidence in  tne  cause  of  the  Union  in  its  dark- 
est days." 

At  the  close  of  the  first  session  of  the  legis- 
lature over  which  Mr.  Blaine  presided,  the  lead- 
ing Democrat  in  the  House,  a  Mr.  Gould,  from 
Thomaston,  arose  after  remarks  of  great  pathos 
and  tenderness,  and  presented  this  resolution :  — • 

"Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  House  are  pre- 
sented to  the  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine,  for  the  marked 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE,      163 

ability,  the  urbanity  and  impartiality  with  which  he. 
has  presided  over  its  deliberations,  and  for  the  uni- 
form amenity  of  his  personal  intercourse  with  its 
members." 

He  bore  testimony  to  the  "marvelous  de- 
spatch with  which  the  formal  parts  of  the  bus- 
iness had  been  done,  and  so  the  session  greatly 
shortened." 

The   resolution    was    adopted    by    a    unanimous 
vote,   and    Mr.    Elaine   said,  — 
"GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES: 

"You  will  accept  my  most  grateful  acknowledgments 
for  the  very  cordial  manner  in  which  you  have  signi- 
fied your  approbation  of  my  course  as  your  presiding 
officer.  I  beg  in  return  to  witness  to  the  dignity,  the 
diligence,  and  the  ability  with  which  you  have  sever- 
ally discharged  your  representative  trusts.  We  met, 
many  of  us,  as  strangers  ;  may  I  not  hope  that  we 
all  part  as  friends,  and  parting,  may  we  bear  to  our 
homes  the  recollection  of  duties  faithfully  performed, 
and  the  consciousness  of  having  done  something  to 
promote  the  prosperity  and  welfare  of  our  honored 
state.  I  bid  you  farewell." 

This  was  on  the  i8th  of  March,  and  on  the 
22d  of  April,  the  war  having  broken  out,  they 
were  assembled  again  in  extra  session,  Mr.  Elaine 
in  the  chair.  In  three  days  and  a  half  provis- 
ions were  made  for  raising  troops  and  money  for 
the  war,  and  legislation  pertaining  to  militia-laws 


164  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

was  enacted,  etc.  The  wildest  rumors  filled  the 
air.  The  country  seemed  transformed  at  once  into 
a  turbulent  sea,  but  men  did  not  lose  their  reck- 
oning. Latitude  and  longitude  were  things  too 
deeply  fixed  and  broadly  marked  to  be  unseen  or 
ignored.  The  storm  blew  from  a  single  quarter. 
Its  long  gathering  had  made  it  black  and  fierce. 
It  struck  the  gallant  ship  of  state.  She  was  reel- 
ing with  the  shock  of  war. 

Never  did  the  beauty  and  worth  of  federal 
states  appear  to  better  advantage  than  when  the 
impoverished  and  plundered  government  called  on 
them  for  aid.  It  was  the  parent's  call  upon  her 
children  for  defence  against  their  own  misguided 
sisters.  Never  was  mechanism  more  finely  ad- 
justed, or  power  more  equally  balanced,  than  in  the 
Republic.  Very  distinct  and  separate  are  head 
and  feet  and  hands,  eyes  and  ears,  yet  nothing 
is  more  perfect  in  its  unity. 

It  is  much  the  same  with  the  great  union  of 
states.  They  are  separated  far,  and  quite  distinct 
in  varied  interests,  but  one  in  powerful  unity. 
But  the  time  had  come  to  show  the  strength  of 
that  unity.  All  there  was  of  the  great  mind  and 
heart  and  life  of  Mr.  Elaine  was  given  to  the 
nation  in  holiest  exercise  of  all  his  powers. 

While  eighty  thousand  of  the  foe  are  opposing 
thirty-five  thousand  of  our  troops  at  Manassas 
Junction,  and  Colonel  Ellsworth  is  losing  his  life 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      165 

at  Alexandria ;  while  Stephen  A.  Douglas  is  de- 
livering in  early  June  his  last  eloquent  words, 
straight  and  heroic  for  the  nation  ;  while  the 
bankers  of  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia 
arc  casting  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dol- 
lars into  the  national  treasury  at  Washington, 
and  the  brave  General  Lyon  with  eight  thousand 
men  is  routing  twenty-three  thousand  of  the  en- 
emy in  Missouri,  at  the  cost  of  his  life, — while 
all  the  activities  of  that  first  summer  of  war  are 
going  on,  Mr.  Elaine  is  facing  a  political  storm 
of  great  severity,  as  general-in-chief  in  the  cam- 
paign that  places  Israel  Washburn,  Jr.,  again  in 
the  gubernatorial  chair  of  the  state,  and  keeps 
the  reins  of  government  in  Republican  hands. 

It  has  been  a  question  often  debated  whether 
the  nation  is  most  indebted  to  her  warriors  or 
her  statesmen.  There  can  be  no  hesitation  in 
deciding,  where  the  mere  question  of  life  is  con- 
sidered, or  the  hardships  of  camp  and  march  and 
field  are  included  in  the  account.  And  yet  Lin- 
coln, nor  Garfield  wore  a  uniform  when  the  bul- 
let struck. 

No  one  thinks  their  patriotism  less  intense,  or 
that  of  cabinet,  or  senators  and  members  of  the 
house,  or  governors  and  council,  or  members  of 
legislatures  less  ardent  in  their  love  of  country, 
and  zeal  for  the  honor  of  her  imperilled  cause. 
At  such  times  all  true  hearts  are  one,  -and  the 


1 66  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

blood   that     throbs    in   hands    and    heart   and   feet 
is   all   the   same. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  re-elected  to  his  accustomed 
place  in  the  legislature  of  the  state.  The  ter- 
rific war  rages  on.  The  demand  for  troops  in- 
creases,—  is  indeed  quadrupled,  —  and  the  state 
must  be  brought  up  to  her  quota  by  methods 
the  wisest  and  best.  And  again  and  again  the 
clarion  voice  of  the  speaker  of  the  House  rings 
over  the  state  with  no  uncertain  sound.  Com- 
panies and  regiments  are  formed,  and  these  must 
be  filled.  The  fires  burning  so  brightly,  must 
burn  brighter.  Intense  love  must  be  intensified. 
The  news  of  terrible  battles  thrills  over  the  state 
almost  daily.  The  romance  of  war  is  over.  Its 
gilt  edge  is  gone.  It  is  hard,  desperate,  bloody 
work.  Their  sons  and  brothers  and  fathers  are 
falling  by  the  score  and  hundred  at  the  front. 
The  bloody  work  has  been  done  at  Ball's  Bluff 
and  Port  Royal.  Sons  of  Maine  are  in  Libby 
Prison  and  at  Belle  Isle. 

The  hard,  serious  question  is  discussed  in  ev- 
ery home.  It  fills  the  dreams  of  yeomanry, — 
"Shall  I  go?"  "Can  I  go?"  All  that  is  sacred 
in  business  and  religion  in  home  and  country  is 
the  question.  Men  are  lifted  by  appeals  almost 
divine  in  eloquence,  above  any  petty  considera- 
tion, to  the  grave  question  of  the  nation's  life 
and  destiny.  Their  names  go  down  by  scores 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      l6/ 

ancl  hundreds.  Regiments  and  brigades  seem 
born  in  a  day.  They  come  from  all  ranks  and 
conditions, — from  pulpit  and  press,  from  farm  and 
sbop,  from  bank  and  office,  and  store  and  halls 
of  state,  —  and  are  transformed  in  an  hour  from 
citizens  to  soldiers,  and  march  away  to  the  front. 
Steamer  and  car  swarm  with  them. 

The  music  dies  away  down  the  river,  and  they 
are  gone,  —  gone  perhaps  forever.  Good-byes  are 
cherished  in  heart  of  hearts,  and  kisses  from 
mother,  father,  lover,  friend,  are  carried  away  like 
cameos  of  thought,  the  sacred  things  of  memory. 

In  the  autumn  we  find  Mr.  Blaine  in  Wash- 
ington, probably  for  the  first  time,  but  not  in 
official  relations  to  the  government.  He  must 
have  a  nearer  view  of  the  great  scenes  being 
enacted.  He  must  know  the  men  who  are  wield- 
ing the  nation's  power,  and  put  his  finger  on  the 
pulse  of  war,  and  gather  material  for  the  more 
intense  activity  his  work  at  home  assumes.  He 
must  see  the  great-hearted  Lincoln,  and  shake 
his  hand,  and  give  him  cheer. 

Fessenden,  Hamlin,  and  Morrill  are  there,  for 
congress  is  in  session  in  a  city  fortified,  and  its 
streets  patrolled  by  soldiers.  Andrew  Johnson  is 
the  only  senator  present  from  eleven  seceded 
states.  Breckenridge,  mortified  by  the  vote  of  his 
state,  and  the  rebuke  ancl  the  castigation  the 
dead  Douglas  had  given  him  in  the  early  spring, 


1 68  PIATE    TO    POTOMAC. 

was  present  from  Kentucky ;  and  Lane  and  Pom- 
eroy  were  in  their  seats  from  the  new,  free 
state  of  Kansas,  as  her  first  senators.  And  the 
two  Union  senators  were  there,  —  Messrs.  Willy 
and  Carlisle,  —  from  the  western  portion  of  se- 
ceded Virginia.  Only  five  free  states  had  other 
than  Republican  senators.  Bright,  Breckenridge, 
and  Polk  were  expelled. 

Chase,  and  Cameron,  and  Seward  had  entered 
the  cabinet,  but  an  impressive  array  of  talent  re- 
mained in  the  senate,  to  be  studied  by  our  ris- 
ing young  statesman  to  best  advantage.  Charles 
Sumner  and  Henry  Wilson  were  there  from  Mas- 
sachusetts ;  Zachariah  Chandler,  and  Bingham,  of 
Michigan  ;  Wilkinson  of  Minnesota ;  John  P.  Hale 
and  Daniel  Clark,  of  New  Hampshire ;  Benjamin 
F.  Wade  and  John  Sherman,  of  Ohio ;  Wilmot 
and  Cowan,  of  Pennsylvania ;  James  R.  Doolittle 
and  Timothy  O.  Hone,  of  Wisconsin.  Jacob  Col- 
lamore,  formerly  in  General  Taylor's  cabinet,  a 
ripe,  scholarly  man,  was  a  senator  from  Vermont, 
and  Simmons  and  Anthony,  from  Rhode  Island. 

On  his  first  visit  to  the  National  Capital,  Mr. 
Elaine  could  not  fail  to  visit  the  House  where 
he  himself  was  destined  to  have  a  career  so  fa- 
mous and  honorable  alike  to  himself,  his  state,- 
and  the  nation.  There  was  his  friend,  Anson  P. 
Morrill,  who  had  desired  him  to  take  the  nomina- 
tion to  congress  the  present  session,  rather  than 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      169 

himself,  and  Galusha  A.  Grow,  from  his  native 
state,  a  member  of  the  convention  which  has  just 
nominated  him  for  the  presidency,  and .  of  the 
committee  notifying  of  the  same,  was  then  in  the 
chair  to  be  reserved  for  him  as  speaker  of  that 
house.  Thaddeus  Stevens,  fearless,  able,  of  in- 
trepid spirit  and  strong  character,  the  best  hater 
of  slavery  on  the  continent,  hating  even  those 
who  did  not  hate  it,  was  the  natural  leader  of  the 
House,  assuming  his  place  by  common  consent. 
He  attracted  Mr.  Elaine's  special  attention. 

John  Hickman  and  Edward  McPherson  were 
with  him  from  Pennsylvania  ;  and  from  New  York 
there  were  Reuben  E.  Fenton,  experienced  and 
strong  in  public  affairs,  Elbridge  G.  Spaulding, 
the  financier,  William  A.  Wheeler,  since  vice- 
president,  secretary  Seward's  friend  and  confidant, 
Theodore  Pomeroy. 

"The  ablest  and  most  brilliant  man  of  the  del- 
egation," says  Mr.  Elaine,  "was  Roscoe  Conkling. 
He  had  been  elected  to  the  preceding  congress 
when  but  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  and  had  ex- 
hibited a  readiness  and  elegance  in  debate  that 
placed  him  at  once  in  the  front  rank.  His  com- 
mand of  language  was  remarkable.  In  affluent 
and  exhuberant  diction  Mr.  Conkling  was  never 
surpassed  in  either  branch  of  congress,  unless, 
perhaps,  by  Rufus  Choate." 

Massachusetts   had   a   strong   delegation,    headed 


170  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

by  Henry  L.  Dawes,  and  with  him  were  A.  H. 
Rice,  since  governor  of  the  state,  Elliott,  Alley, 
and  William  Appleton.  Missouri  sent  Blair  and 
Rollins,  from  the  battle-field.  Crittenden,  who  had 
been  six  times  elected  to  the  senate,  in  two  cab- 
inets, appointed  to  the  supreme  bench,  was  then 
in  the  house,  seeking  with  Charles  A.  Wickliffe, 
to  save  Kentucky  to  the  Union,  against  the  treas- 
onable conspiracies  of  Breckenridge.  With  Crit- 
tenden and  Wickliffe  strong  for  the  Union,  were 
Robert  Mallory,  James  S.  Jackson,  and  William 
H.  Wadsworth,  keeping  up  the  almost  even  bal- 
ance of  power  in  their  state.  Oilman  Marston 
was  there  from  New  Hampshire,  soon  to  become 
conspicuous  in  the  field.  Justin  S.  Morrill  from 
Vermont,  Frederick  A.  Pike,  and  the  brother  of 
senator  Fessenden  from  Maine,  in  company  with 
Ex-Gov.  Anson  P.  Morrill.  Illinois,  Ohio,  and  In- 
diana had  strong  men  there  also,  as  did  Iowa 
and  Minnesota. 

Elihu  B.  Washburn,  Owen  Lovejoy,  William  A. 
Richardson,  and  John  A.  Logan,  represented  the 
state  of  Lincoln  and  Grant ;  Schuyler  Colfax, 
George  W.  Julian,  Albert  G.  Porter,  Wm.  McKce 
Dunn,  and  Daniel  W.  Voorhees,  were  there  from 
Indiana ;  and  from  the  state  of  Garfield,  Bing- 
ham,  Shellabarger,  Horton,  and  Ashley.  Pendle- 
ton,  Vallandigham,  and  S.  S.  Cox  were  on  the 
Democratic  side. 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      I?! 

It  must  have  been  the  dawn  of  an  era  of  new 
inspirations  and  of  fresh  aspirations,  to  look  in 
upon  such  a  body  of  men,  only  a  few  of  the 
leaders  of  whom  we  have  mentioned. 

Anson  P.  Morrill  had  written  him,  six  months 
oefore  he  let  any  one  else  into  the  secret,  that 
he  should  not  run  again  for  congress.  His  busi- 
ness required  his  attention,  having  extensive 
woolen  mills  some  twelve  miles  from  Augusta, 
and  he  did  not  enjoy  life  at  Washington,  and 
away  from  home. 

He  desired  Mr.  Elaine,  as  he  had  before  de- 
sired, to  take  his  place,  and  hence  gave  him  a 
note  of  warning,  and  special  opportunity  for  pre- 
paration. This  surely  betokened  Mr.  Merrill's 
large  confidence  in  Mr.  Elaine,  which  is  certainly 
remarkable,  when  we  remember  that  Mr.  Elaine 
was  twenty-seven  years  younger  than  Mr.  Mor- 
rill, who  was  then  in  his  prime,  about  sixty  years 
of  age ;  and  yet  he  looks  down  upon  a  young 
man  of  thirty-one,  and  asks  him  to  come  up  and 
take  his  place  in  the  councils  of  the  nation. 
Why  this  confidence,  this  unquestioned  assurance 
of  power,  this  high  compliment  of  age  and  ex- 
perience, of  wealth,  and  extraordinary  business 
ability  of  the  old  governor  of  Maine  to  the  young 
and  dauntless  Speaker  of  the  House  at  home  ? 

First  of  all,  because  he  had  abundantly  found 
him  as  speaker  of  the  House  winning  golden 


I72  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


opinions   from    those   over   whose   deliberations    he 
had    presided. 

Second,  because  he  had  just  conducted,  as 
chairman  of  the  State  Central  Committee  of  the 
Republican  party,  a  campaign,  re-electing  Governor 
Washburn,  and  himself  to  the  legislature,  and 
thus  fighting  unto  victory  the  home -battle  of 
the  Union,  meanwhile  pushing  hard  and  success- 
fully the  editorial  work  of  the  Daily  Advertiser 
at  Portland. 

But  more  than  either  of  these  events  or  con- 
siderations, the  presidential  campaign  of  1860 
had  endeared  him  to  Mr.  Morrill.  Then  he  had 
stumped  the  state  with  the  Hon.  Anson  Bur- 
lingame  of  Massachusetts, — he  discussing  the  state 
issues  while  Mr.  Burlingame  discussed  the  na- 
tional issues. 

An  old  citizen  high  in  state  office  to-day,  who 
heard  him  frequently,  says  "he  won  the  people 
by  the  skill  and  comprehensiveness  with  which 
he  analyzed  and  argued  the  great  questions  of 
the  time." 

He  also  said  "that  his  editorials  in  the 
Journal  of  that  summer  and  autumn,  when  Mr. 
Stevens,  his  old  partner,  was  sick,  furnished  all 
the  material  for  the  campaign."  He  gathered  up 
and  crowded  in  all  there  was. 

It  was  that  total  exemption  from  indolence, 
his  marked  degree  of  energy,  and  priceless  abil- 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      1/3 

ities,  that  charmed  the  old  governor  and  warmed 
his  great  heart  toward  him.  And  then  it  was 
upon  that  same  tidal  wave  of  influence,  sweep- 
ing out  from  the  depths  of  that  fresh,  young 
life,  that  Mr.  Morrill  himself  was  swept  into  his 
seat  in  congress. 

The  Democrats  had  up  for  governor  their 
strong  man  that  year,  Ephraim  K.  Smart,  who 
had  been  several  terms  in  congress,  and  made 
the  biggest  possible  fight  that  lay  in  their  power, 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  The  speeches  of  Mr. 
Elaine  fixed  the  attention  of  the  state  upon  him, 
as  coming  from  a  man  away  beyond  his  years. 
He  could,  we  are  told,  "marshal  statistics  with 
great  facility";  facts,  figures,  faces,  he  knew 
them  all,  and  impressed  the  people,  even  the 
old  campaigners,  with  a  boundlessness  of  political 
and  historical  knowledge  that  is  distinctly  re- 
membered to  this  day. 

They  have  gotten  use  to  this  sort  of  thing 
up  in  Maine,  and  talk  like  men  who  reached 
their  conclusions  years  ago.  Their  minds  were 
made  up  as  to  the  man  in  Augusta,  at  least 
over  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  away  back  in 
1856,  some  of  them  when,  fresh  from  the  Phila- 
delphia convention,  he  made  his  Fremont  and 
Dayton  speech,  twenty-eight  years  ago,  and  he 
has  simply  been  expanding,  and  enlarging,  filling 
up,  and  growing  ever  since.  He  has  been  watched 


174  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

with  eager  pride  and  rejoiced  in  with  the  devo- 
tion of  brothers  and  friends,  as  wave  after  wave 
of  his  majestic  influence  has  dashed  across  the 
boundary  lines  of  the  state,  and  broken  over  the 
nation. 

It  would  have  been  something  unaccountable 
if  every  round  of  the  ladder  had  not  been 
touched  at  last  by  him,  and  yet  there  is  no 
fatality  about  it.  He  was  no  child  of  destiny, 
but  of  industry ;  no  creature  of  chance,  but  of 
choice;  not  of  luck,  but  of  pluck;  not  of  for- 
tune, but  of  fortitude ;  not  of  circumstance,  but 
of  courage  and  consecrated  energy. 

He  returned  home  from  his  first  view  of 
Washington  with  larger  views  of  the  nation's 
greatness,  and  the  fierceness  of  the  contests 
that  were  testing  her  strength,  and  a  holier 
ambition  to  make  every  power  tell  for  Liberty's 
victory,  and  the  nation's  emancipation  from 
wrong,  and  her  projection  upon  a  loftier  career 
of  service  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

The  state  could  not  hold  him  long  after  the 
revelation  of  these  few  brief  days  and  weeks. 
But  he  could  wait  his  time,  meanwhile  reorgan- 
izing all  the  forces  at  his  command  for  victory 
of  a  larger  kind,  and  in  a  larger  field  than  had 
fallen  to  his  lot.  And  why  not  ?  He  was  fast 
outgrowing  the  places  filled  thus  far,  and  others 
were  opening  to  him  without  the  asking. 


SPEAKER   OF  THE  MAINE  LEGISLATURE.      1/5 

The  plans  for  the  new  year  are  all  laid  be- 
fore the  old  year  dies.  Then  he  shall  stand 
nearer  the  seat  of  war;  then  he  shall  study 
questions  and  characters,  plans  and  persons,  opin- 
ions, policies,  and  principles,  all  the  great  states 
and  machinery  of  government.  His  home  shall 
be  in  the  great  city  and  centre  of  the  land, 
where  authority,  wisdom,  and  power  reside,  and 
where  no  excellence  but  is  in  demand,  no  great, 
shining  quality  but  shall  shine  amid  a  thousand 
reflections,  and  name  and  place  shall  but  increase 
each  power  to  serve  and  save  the  nation's  life. 


IX. 


SECOND  TERM   AS   SPEAKER. 


N  Jan.  i,  1862,  Mr.  Elaine  was  re-nom- 
inated by  acclamation,  and  re-elected  by 
an  almost  unanimous  vote,  Speaker  of 
the  Maine  House  of  Representatives. 
The  war  was  enlarging  the  demand  for  legisla- 
tion. All  great  national  issues  must  be  discussed 
by  the  state  legislatures,  and  the  demand  for 
their  adoption  sprung  from  .the  people,  a  knowl- 
edge of  whose  will  could  be  best  gained  in  this 
way.  Resolutions  were  discussed  as  regards  con- 
fiscating the  slaves,  and  arming  them  in  the  na- 
tion's defence,  and  so  the  representatives  in  con- 
gress were  instructed  and  encouraged,  and  their 
actions  brought  up  as  legislative  measures  and 
endorsed. 

Grave  suspicions  existed  at  this  time  in  the 
minds  of  many  in  the  state  of  Maine,  in  view 
of  the  attitude  of  the  British  nation  towards  the 
United  States,  and  the  feeling  of  a  portion  of 
the  British  people,  as  developed  by  the  Mason 
and  Slidell  affair,  and  the  blockade-runners  fit- 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER.  177 

ted  out  in  British  ports.  The  exposed  condition 
of  the  coast  and  boundary  line  of  Maine,  had 
caused  national  alarm  upon  this  subject  to  cen- 
ter largely  in  the  state. 

"For  more  than  four  hundred  miles,"  said  the 
governor,  Israel  Washburn,  Jr.,  in  his  inaugural 
address  of  January,  1862,  "this  state  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  British  Provinces  of  New  Bruns- 
wick and  Canada  by  a  merely  imaginary  line. 
Of  the  deep  and  bitter  hostility  to  this  country 
of  large  numbers  of  the  people,  we  have  now, 
unhappily,"  he  goes  on  to  say,  "the  most  indu- 
bitable proofs. 

"Upon  the  coast  of  Maine  there  are  more 
deep,  accessible  harbors,  capable  of  being  entered 
by  the  largest  ships  of  war,  than  can  be  found  on 
the  entire  coast-line  of  the  slave-holding  states ; 
and  yet  since  she  entered  the  federal  Union  in 
1820,  less  than  half  has  been  expended  for 
her  coast  protection  and  improvement  than  was 
expended  within  ten  years  for  the  building  of 
a  custom-house  in  the  single  city  of  Charles- 
ton." 

The  old  adage,  "  In  time  of  peace  prepare  for 
war,"  had  not  been  followed,  and  now  commis- 
sioners are  sent  to  Washington  to  present  the 
facts  regarding  Maine's  defenseless  condition,  and 
the  engineer  department  was  directed,  by  order 
of  Simon  Cameron,  Secretary  of  War,  to  send  a 


178  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

competent  officer  to  examine  and  report  upon  the 
subject. 

This  is  one  of  the  topics  filling  the  mind  of 
Maine  statesmen  of  this  time,  and  its  importance 
is  so  presented  and  impressed,  that  on  Jan.  17, 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  was  appropriated 
for  Fort  Knox  on  the  Penobscot  River,  Maine, 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  fort  on  Hog 
Island,  Portland  Harbor,  and  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars each  for  these  two  forts  the  following 
year. 

Seldom  were  there  so  many  bills  of  great  im- 
portance to  the  state  and  nation  before  the  legis- 
lature, as  at  this  and  subsequent  sessions.  But 
most  of  the  time  the  speaker  sat  quietly  in  his 
chair,  exercising  the  functions  of  his  office.  Men 
seemed  to  be  growing  into  greatness  at  a  single 
session;  speeches  of  great  effectiveness,  and  elo- 
quent with  patriotic  ardor,  came  to  be  a  daily 
occurrence. 

Union  victories  began  to  cheer  the  nation.  Gen- 
eral Thomas  at  Mill  Springs,  Ky.,  had  fought  and 
won  a  glorious  day.  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson 
had  fallen,  and  hordes  of  rebels  had  surrendered. 
Nashville  was  occupied  by  Union  troops,  and  An- 
drew Johnson  was  appointed  governor  of  Tennes- 
see. Indeed,  he  was  descending  the  steps  of  the 
Capitol  at  Washington  with  a  bevy  of  his  friends, 
aiid  just  starting  for  the  capital  of  Tennessee, 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER.  1/9 

the  very  afternoon  of  March  7th,  to  which  we 
are  about  to  call  special  attention. 

No  scene  more  brilliant  graces  the  early  his- 
tory of  Mr.  Elaine,  than  his  reply  to  Hon.  A. 
P.  Gould,  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  Thomaston, 
and  a  member  of  the  lower  House,  in  vindica- 
tion of  the  war-power  of  congress.  The  hearty 
support  of  every  Northern  state  was  a  necessity. 

The  following  resolutions  were  passed  by  the 
Senate  of  Maine,  on  the  7th  of  February,  1862, 
by  yeas  twenty-four,  nays  four:  — 

"STATE   OF   MAINE. 
"RESOLUTIONS  RELATING  TO  NATIONAL  AFFAIRS. 

"Resolved,  That  we  cordially  endorse  the  adminis- 
tration of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  conduct  of  the  war 
against  the  wicked  and  unnatural  enemies  of  the  Re- 
public, and  that  in  all  its  measures  calculated  to 
crush  this  rebellion  speedily  and  finally,  the  adminis- 
tration is  entitled  to  and  will  receive  the  unwavering 
support  of  the  loyal  people  of  Maine. 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  duty  of  congress,  by  such 
means  as  will  not  jeopardize  the  rights  and  safety  of 
the  loyal  people  of  the  South,  to  provide  for  the 
confiscation  of  estates,  real  and  personal,  of  rebels, 
and  for  the  forfeiture  and  liberation  of  every  slave 
claimed  by  any  person  who  shall  continue  in  arms 
against  the  authority  of  the  United  States,  or  who 
shall  in  any  manner  aid  and  abet  the  present  wicked 
and  unjustifiable  rebellion. 


180  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

"Resolved,  That  in  this  perilous  crisis  of  the  country, 
it  is  the  duly  of  congress,  in  the  exercise  of  its 
constitutional  power,  to  "raise  and  support  armies," 
to  provide  by  law  for  accepting  .the  services  of  all 
able-bodied  men  of  whatever  status,  and  to  employ 
these  men  in  such  manner  as  military  necessity  and 
the  safety  of  the  Republic  may  demand. 

"Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent 
to  the  senators  and  representatives  in  congress  from 
this  state,  and  that  they  be  respectfully  requested  to 
use  all  honorable  means  to  secure  the  passage  of 
acts  embodying  their  spirit  and  substance." 

The  resolutions  were  sent  to  the  House  for 
concurrence,  and  were  there  referred  to  the 
committee  of  the  whole.  On  the  6th  and  /th 
of  March,  Mr.  Gould,  of  Thomaston,  made  an 
elaborate  argument  against  them.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  his  remarks  he  was  replied  to  by 
Mr.  Elaine,  Speaker  of  the  House.  The  resolu- 
tions were  subsequently  adopted  by  the  House 
in  concurrence  with  the  Senate,  by  yeas  one 
hundred  and  four,  nays  twenty-six. 

Mr.  Gould  had  spoken  for  seven  hours  against 
the  resolutions.  The  House  had  gone  into  com- 
mittee of  the  whole,  with  Mr.  Frye,  the  present 
United  States  senator,  in  the  chair.  The  sen- 
ate was  present  in  a  body,  on  one  side,  the 
governor  and  his  council  on  the  other,  and  as 
many  as  could  enter,  filled  the  galleries  and 


SECOND    TERM   AS   SPEAKER.  l8l 

vacant  spaces,  when  Mr.  Blaine,  then  but  thirty- 
two  years  of  age,  took  up  the  gage  of  battle, 
and  spoke  for  two  hours,  and  so  utterly  demol- 
ished the  premises  and  conclusions  of  his 
powerful  antagonist  as  to  carry  the  resolution 
through  the  House  with  but  few  dissenting 
voices. 

Mr.  Blaine  had  been  re-elected  Speaker  of  the 
House  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
out  of  one  hundred  and  forty,  at  the  present 
session.  All  eyes  were  turned  to  him  as  the 
man  for  the  occasion. 

His  old  paper,  the  Kennebec  Journal,  with 
which  he  had  had  no  official  connection  for 
three  years,  says  of  the  speech:  — 

"  Never,  in  the  legislative  history  of  Maine, 
has  there  been  such  an  opportunity  for  a  foren- 
sic effort  as  was  presented  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  on  Friday  afternoon,  at  the  close 
of  the  seven  hours'  speech  of  Hon.  A.  P.  Gould 
on  the  national  resolutions.  The  expectation  of 
the  legislature  was  that  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine 
would  speak  in  defense  of  the  principles  and  the 
measures  by  which  the  Federal  government  will 
be  able  to  crush  the  Rebellion  and  restore  the 
Republic  to  that  true  and  certain  basis  on  which 
it  was  originally  established.  Mr.  Blaine's  speech 
occupied  two  hours,  and  was  fully  equal  to  the 
anticipations  of  the  unconditional  friends  of  the 


1 82  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

government.  From  beginning  to  close  it  was 
crowded  with  arguments  and  salient  facts,  inter- 
spersed with  due  proportion  of  wit,  satire,  invec- 
tive and  telling  hits  against  the  doctrines  anc! 
positions  of  his  opponent.  It  showed,  with  great 
clearness  and  strength,  that  the  power  of  con- 
fiscating the  slaves  of  rebels  belongs  to  con- 
gress, and  to  no  other  power.  It  adhered  firmly 
to  the  long-recognized  principle  that  the  safety 
of  the  Republic  is  the  supreme  law,  ^  before  which 
every  pecuniary  interest  must  give  way,  and  ad- 
vancing in  this  broad  highway,  so  clearly  defined 
by  the  highest  authorities  of  international  law, 
and  so  luminous  with  the  best  light  of  history, 
the  speaker  made  a  complete  overthrow  of  the 
sophistry  and  disloyalty  of  those  who  plead  the 
defences  of  the  constitution  for  the  security  of 
traitors,  as  against  the  necessities  of  the  Repub- 
lic. The  speech  was  brilliantly  eloquent,  conclu- 
sive in  argument,  and  in  all  essential  particulars 
was  a  success  which  cannot  fail  to  add  to  the 
reputation  of  the  author." 

We  give  some  extracts  from  the  speech  of 
Mr.  Elaine:  — 

"The  first  hour  of  the  seven  which  the  gentleman 
from  Thomaston  has  consumed  I  shall  pass  over 
with  scarcely  a  comment.  It  was  addressed  almost 
exclusively,  and  in  violation  of  parliamentary  rules,  to 
personal  matters  between  himself  and  a  distinguished 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER.  183 


citizen  from  the  same  section,  lately  the  gubernatorial 
candidate  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  now  repre- 
senting the  county  of  Knox  in  the  other  branch  of  the 
legislature 

"I  shall  best  make  myself  understood,  and  perhaps 
most  intelligibly  respond  to  the  argument  of  the 
gentleman  from  Thomaston,  by  discussing  the  ques- 
tion in  its  two  phases :  Jirst,  as  to  the  power  of 
congress  to  adopt  the  measures  conceived  in  the 
pending  resolutions ;  and,  secondly,  as  to  the  expedi- 
ency of  adopting  them.  And,  at  the  very  outset,  I 
find  between  the  gentleman  from  Thomaston  and  my- 
self a  most  radical  difference  as  to  the  'war-power' 
of  the  constitution ;  its  origin,  its  extent,  and  the 
authority  which  shall  determine  its  actions,  direct  its 
operation,  and  fix  its  limit.  He  contends,  and  he 
spent  some  four  or  five  hours  in  attempting  to  prove, 
that  the  war-power  in  this  Government  is  lodged 
wholly  in  the  executive,  and  in  describing  his  almost 
endless  authority,  he  piled  Ossa  on  Pelion  until  he 
had  made  the  president,  under  the  war-power,  per- 
fectly despotic,  with  all  prerogatives  and  privileges 
concentrated  in  his  own  person,  and  then  to  end  the 
tragedy  with  a  farce,  with  uplifted  hands  he  rever- 
ently thanked  God  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  not 
an  ambitious  villain  (like  some  of  his  Democratic 
predecessors,  I  presume),  to  use  this  power,  trample 
on  the  liberties  of  the  nation,  erect  a  throne  for 
himself,  and  thus  add  another  to  the  list  of  usurpers 
that  have  disfigured  the  world's  history. 

"  I    dissent  from  these  conclusions  of  the  gentleman. 


184  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

I  read  the  Federal  constitution  differently.  I  read  in 
the  most  frequent  and  suggestive  section  of  that  im- 
mortal chart,  that  certain  'powers'  are  declared  to 
belong  to  congress.  I  read  therein  that  '  congress 
shall  have  power'  among  other  large  grants  of 
authority,  '  to  provide  for  the  common  defence ' ;  that 
it  shall  have  power  'to  declare  war,  grant  letters  of 
marque  and  reprisal,  and  make  rules  concerning  cap- 
tures on  land  and  water';  that  it  shall  have  power 
'  to  raise  and  support  armies '  j  to  '  provide  and 
maintain  a  navy ' ;  and  '  to  make  rules  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  land  and  naval  forces.'  And  as 
though  these  were  not  sufficiently  broad  and  general, 
the  section  concludes  in  its  eighteenth  subdivision  by 
declaring  that  congress  shall  have  power  '  to  make 
all  laws  which  shall  be  necessary  and  proper  for 
carrying  into  execution  the  foregoing  powers,  and  all 
other  powers  vested  by  this  constitution  in  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States,  or  in  any  department 
or  officer  thereof.'  Mark  that,  — '  in  any  department 

or  officer   thereof ! ' 

"  At  the  origin  of  our  government,  Mr.  Chairman, 
the  people  were  jealous  of  their  liberties;  they  gave 
power  guardedly  and  grudgingly  to  their  rulers;  they 
were  hostile  above  all  things  to  what  is  termed  the 
one-man  power;  and  you  cannot  but  observe  with 
what  peculiar  care  they  provided  against  the  abuse 
of  the  '  war-power.'  For,  after  giving  to  congress 
the  power  '  to  declare  war,'  and  '  to  raise  and  sup- 
port armies,'  they  added  in  the  constitution  these 
remarkable  and  emphatic  words,  — ' but  no  appropria- 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER.  I  §5 

tion  of  money  to  that  use  shall  be  for  a  longer  term 
than  two  years'  which  is  precisely  the  period  for 
which  the  representatives  in  the  popular  branch  are 
chosen.  Thus,  sir,  this  power  was  not  given  to  con- 
gress simply,  but  in  effect  it  was  given  to  the  house 
of  representatives;  the  people  placing  it  where  they 
could  lay  their  hands  directly  upon  it  at  every  bien- 
nial election,  and  say  '  yes '  or  '  no '  to  the  principle 

or  policy  of   any  war 

"The  other  point  at  issue  has  reference  to  the 
relations  that  now  exist  between  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  and  the  so-called  Confederate 
States.  The  gentleman  from  Thomaston  has  quoted 
the  treason  clause  of  the  constitution,  and  has  elabo- 
rately argued  that  the  armed  rebels  in  the  South 
have  still  the  full  right  to  the  protection  of  property 
guaranteed  therein,  and  that  any  confiscation  of  their 
property  or  estates  by  any  other  process  than  is 
there  laid  down  would  be  unconstitutional.  I  am 
endeavoring  to  state  the  position  of  the  gentleman 
with  entire  candor,  as  I  desire  to  meet  his  argument 
throughout  in  that  spirit.  I  maintain,  sir,  in  opposi- 
tion to  this  view,  that  we  derive  the  right  to  confis- 
cate the  property  and  liberate  the  slaves  of  rebels 
from  a  totally  different  source.  I  maintain  that  to-day 
we  are  in  a  state  of  civil  war,  —  civil  war,  too,  of  the 
most  gigantic  proportions.  And  I  think  it  will  strike 
this  House  as  a  singular  and  most  significant  confes- 
sion of  the  unsoundness  of  the  gentleman's  argument, 
that  to  sustain  his  positions,  he  had  to  deny  that 
we  are  engaged  in  civil  war  at  all.  He  stated,  much 


1 86  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

to  the  amusement  of  the  House,  I  think,  that  it  was 
not  a  civil  war  because  Jeff.  Davis  was  not  seeking  to 
wrest  the  presidential  chair  from  Abraham  Lincoln, 
but  simply  to  carry  off  a  portion  of  the  Union,  in 
order  to  form  a  separate  government.  Pray,  sir,  is 
not  Abraham  Lincoln  the  rightful  president  of  the  whole 
country  and  of  all  the  states,  and  is  it  not  interfering 
as  much  with  his  constitutional  prerogative  to  dispute 
his  authority  in  Georgia  or  Louisiana  as  it  would  be 
to  dispute  it  in  Maine  or  Pennsylvania? 

"To  assume  the  ground  of  the  gentleman  from 
Thomaston,  with  its  legitimate  sequences,  is  practi- 
cally to  give  up  the  contest.  Yet  he  tells  you,  and 
he  certainly  repeated  it  a  score  of  times,  that  you 
cannot  deprive  these  rebels  of  their  property,  except 
'by  due  process  of  law/  and  at  the  same  time  he 
confesses  that  within  the  rebel  territory  it  is  impossible 
to  serve  any  precept  or  enforce  any  verdict.  He  at 
the  same  time  declares  that  we  have  not  belligerent 
rights  because  the  contest  is  not  a  civil  war.  Pray, 
what  kind  of  a  war  is  it?  The  gentleman  acknowl- 
edges that  the  rebels  are  traitors,  and  if  so,  that 
they  must  be  engaged  in  some  kind  of  war,  because 
the  constitution  declares  that  'treason  against  the 
United  States  shall  consist  only  in  levying  war 
against  them.'  It  is  therefore  war  on  their  side.  It 
must  also  be  war  on  ours,  and  if  so,  what  kind  of 
war  ? " 

[Mr.  Gould  rose  and  said  that  he  would  define  it 
as  domestic  war.] 

[Mr.  Elaine,  resuming.]    "Domestic  war!    That's  it  1 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER.  187 

Well,  Mr.  Chairman,  we  shall  learn  something  before 
this  discussion  is  over.  Domestic  war !  I  have  heard 
of  domestic  woolens,  domestic  sheetings,  and  domestic 
felicity,  but  a  '  domestic  war '  is  something  entirely 
new  under  the  sun.  All  the  writers  of  international 
law  that  I  have  ever  read,,  speak  of  two  kinds  of  war, 
— foreign  and  civil.  Vattel  will,  I  suppose,  have  a  new 
edition,  with  annotations  by  Gould,  in  which  'domes- 
tic war'  will  be  defined  and  illustrated  as  a  contest 
not  quite  foreign,  not  quite  civil,  but  one  in  which 
the  rebellious  party  has  at  one  and  the  same  time 
all  the  rights  of  peaceful  citizens  and  all  the  immu- 
nities of  alien  enemies  —  for  that  is  precisely  what 
the  gentleman  by  his  argument  claims  for  the 
Southern  secessionists." 

The  stormy  and  brilliant  session  was  drawing 
to  a  close.  The  speaker  had  achieved  the  great 
triumph  of  the  winter.  Others  had  made  grand 
and  effective  speeches.  It  could  scarcely  be  oth- 
erwise. Soldiers  were  encamped  about  the  city; 
camp-fires  were  burning;  martial  music  was  fill- 
ing the  air ;  Colonel  Nickerson  had  marched  his 
Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Maine  Volunteers  through 
Augusta,  and  had  come  to  a  "parade  rest"  on 
Water  Street ;  troops  were  coming  and  troops  were 
going ;  the  papers  were  filled  with  news  from 
every  quarter,  containing  even  Jeff.  Davis'  mes- 
sage to  the  febel  congress.  All  was  life  and 
animation.  Events  were  hastening  to  the  emanci- 


1 88  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

pation  of  the  slave.  It  was  the  demand  of  the 
hour.  From  soldier  in  the  field,  citizen  in  the 
home  and  place  of  business,  and  from  resolute, 
far-seeing  statesmen  in  congressional  halls,  came 
the  imperative  call  to  "free  and  arm  the  slaves!" 

Will  the  negro  fight  ?  was  a  question  gravely 
discussed  over  the  North.  Fred.  Douglas,  the 
colored  orator  of  that  time,  was  asked  it  by  the 
president  of  Rochester  University,  and  the  keen- 
eyed  man  replied, 

"I  am  only  half  a  negro,  and  I  know  I  'd 
fight." 

"Well,"  said  the  genial  and  scholarly  presi- 
dent, Martin  B.  Anderson,  with  a  merry  twinkle 
in  his  eye,  "if  half  a  negro  would  fight,  Mr. 
Douglas,  what  would  a  whole  one  do  ? " 

After  a  session  of  seventy-eight  days,  in  which 
"the  public  business  had  been  completed  with 
all  possible  promptness,"  the  legislature  adjourned. 
"During  the  past  two  years,"  the  record  says, 
"with  the  same  presiding  officers  in  the  senate 
and  House,  —  Hon.  John  H.  Goodenow,  of  Alfred, 
in  the  senate,  and  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine,  of  Au- 
gusta, in  the  House,  —  there  has  not  been  a  sin- 
gle appeal  from  their  decisions." 

It  is  also  said  that  the  high  character  of  the 
legislature  of  1862  stands  unrivalled  in  Maine,  in 
members  of  legislative  experience,  *men  of  prac- 
tical business  talent,  men  learned  and  ready  in 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER.  189 

debate,  men  wise  in  political  action  and  patriotic 
in  purpose.  Surely  it  were  an  honor  to  stand 
at  the  head  of  such  a  body  of  men. 

Very  soon  the  Third  Congressional  Convention 
would  be  held  to  nominate  the  successor  to  A. 
P.  Morrill.  The  three  counties  embraced  in  the 
district,  —  Kennebec,  Somerset,  and  Lincoln,  — 
sent  to  the  legislature  six  senators  and  twenty- 
eight  representatives. 

The  district  is  an  extensive  one,  embracing 
seventy-five  towns,  and  extending  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Canada  line,  inhabited  by  an  intel- 
ligent and  influential  body  of  freemen,  deeply 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  country,  and 
devoted  to  the  principles  and  purposes  of  the 
administration  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  unqual- 
ified and  emphatic  declination  of  Mr.  Morrill  to 
be  a  candidate  for  re-election,  rendered  it  neces- 
sary to  take  a  new  man  for  the  position. 

"The  superior  ability  and  high  qualifications  of 
Hon.  James  G.  Elaine  drew  toward  him  the  spon- 
taneous and  almost  unanimous  support  of  the  friends 
of  the  national  administration  in  the  district." 

At  two  o'clock  on  Friday  afternoon  of  July  n, 
1862,  the  ballot  was  taken,  and  only  one  was 
needed.  Whole  number  of  votes,  one  hundred 
and  eighty-one ;  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine  had  one 
hundred  and  seventy-four ;  W.  R.  Flint,  five ;  scat- 
tering, two. 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


This  is  the  simple  record,  and  Mr.  Elaine  was 
declared  nominated,  and  "the  result  was  made 
unanimous  with  enthusiasm  and  mutual  congratula- 
tions." He  was  brought  in,  and  with  something 
of  sober  diction,  evidently  feeling  the  greatness 
of  the  honor  and  the  responsibility  upon  him, 
he  only  pledged  his  best  intentions  and  most 
earnest  efforts  to  serve  the  constituency  of  the 
district  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  should  he  be 
elected. 

"If  so,  I  shall  go  with  a  determination  to 
stand  heartily  and  unreservedly  by  the  adminis- 
tration of  Abraham  Lincoln.  In  the  success  of 
that  administration,  in  the  good  providence  of 
God,  rests,  I  solemnly  believe,  the  fate  of  the 
Union. 

"Perish  all  things  else,"  he  exclaims,  "the  na- 
tion's life  must  be  saved.  If  slavery  or  any  other 
institution  stands  in  the  way,  it  must  be  removed. 
I  think  the  loyal  masses  are  rapidly  adopting 
the  idea  that  to  smite  the  rebellion,  its  malig- 
nant cause  must  be  smitten.  Perhaps  we  are 
slow  in  coming  to  it,  and  it  may  be  even  now 
we  are  receiving  our  severe  chastisement  for  not 
more  readily  accepting  the  teachings  of  Provi- 
dence. 

"It  was  the  tenth  plague  which  softened  the 
heart  of  Pharaoh  and  caused  him  to  let  the  op- 
pressed go  free.  That  plague  was  the  sacrificing 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER. 


of  the  first-born  in  every  household,  and  with 
the  sanguinary  battle-fields,  whose  records  of 
death  we  are  just  reading,  I  ask  you  in  the 
language  of  another,  how  far  off  are  we  from 
the  day  when  our  households  will  have  paid  that 
penalty  to  offended  heaven?" 

After  his  nomination  Mr.  Elaine  went  on  a 
short  visit  to  his  old  home  in  Washington,  Penn. 
His  mother  was  still  living;  many  friends  and 
relatives,  beside  business  interests,  demanding  at- 
tention. He  had  been  gone  but  eight  years, 
and  four  of  them  he  had  spent  in  the  legisla- 
ture, and  now  was  nominated  for  congress,  with 
a  certainty  of  election.  He  had  come  on  a  visit 
to  the  old  scenes  of  childhood,  and  early  man- 
hood, and  could  present  himself  to  them  as  he 
soon  did  to  the  nation,  covered  with  honor. 

He  returned  just  in  time  to  attend  a  great 
mass-meeting  in  Augusta.  The  two  calls  for 
troops,  each  for  three  hundred  thousand,  were 
out.  Senator  Lot  M.  Morrill,  a  brother  of  the 
ex-governor,  had  just  made  a  strong  speech, 
saying  "we  have  been  playing  at  arms  before, 
but  now  we  are  going  to  fight,"  etc.,  and  closed, 
when  there  were  loud  calls  for  Elaine,  and  he 
appeared,  burning  with  enthusiasm,  and  kindled 
all  hearts  with  his  presence  and  patriotic  appeals. 

On  Monday,  Sept.  8,  1862,  Mr.  Elaine  was 
first  elected  to  congress.  Although  it  was  a 


I92  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

• 

state  campaign  in  which  he  was  elected,  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Elaine  in  person,  aided  by  able 
lieutenants  and  a  governor, — five  congressmen 
and  a  host  of  minor  officials  were  to  be  elected, — 
the  work  was  prosecuted  with  vigor. 

A  draft  is  threatened.  Maine's  quota  must  be 
filled,  and  it  was  during  this  same  month  of 
September  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  ap- 
peared, and  two  months  later  General  McClellan 
was  relieved,  and  General  Eurnside  put  in  com- 
mand of  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 

The  great  events  of  national  importance  would 
of  course  over-shadow  all  state  matters  of  minor 
importance,  comparatively,  and  to  which  the 
public  mind  was  accustomed.  Beside,  %the  mind 
and  heart  of  the  new  congressman  were  full  of 
the  nation's  interest.  Women  were  going  to  the 
front  as  nurses, — more  than  forty  had  gone 
from  one  town  in  Maine  ;  the  Mississippi  was 
open  now  clear  to  the  Gulf ;  General  Butler  was 
in  New  Orleans.  Volumes  of  history  were  made 
in  a  day,  much  of  it  unwritten  history,  traced 
only  in  saddened  faces,  swollen,  tearful  eyes,  in 
nights  of  watchings,  in  sobs  and  sighs,  and  long 
farewells,  in  fields  billowed  with  mounds,  and  in 
the  dark  shadows  that  even  now  will  not  be 
chased  away  from  many  a  heart,  from  many 
a  hearth-stone.  How  little  is  ever  heard  or 
known  of  the  dark  dreaming  still  of  a  mul- 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER.  1 93 

titude    all    silent    and    alone,    when    night    is     on 
the   earth. 

Mr.  Elaine  encountered  one  of  the  hard- 
headed  men,  yet  men  of  harder  hearts,  during 
his  campaign  up  in  Clinton  township,  a  hard, 
Democratic  hold.  General  Logan  used  to  call 
them  copper-heads  down  in  southern  Illinois  dur- 
ing the  war.  They  have  mostly  emigrated  since 
then.  At  the  close  of  the  speech  one  of  them 
arose  up  and  said, — a  fellow  of  grizzly  beard, 

"Well,  young  man,  you  've  made  a  right  smart 
speech,  but  if  it  is  a  sin  to  hold  slaves,  how 
about  Gineral  Washington  ?  " 

This  was  one  of  Mr.  Elaine's  strong  points,  to 
answer  questions,  and  so  keep  up  a  running  fire 
through  his  speech.  He  has  lately  told  us  how 
he  enjoyed,  not  so  much  to  turn  the  tables  on 
the  questioner,  as  to  get  at  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  then  turn  on  the  light  just  where  it 
is  needed.  But  to  this  brave  fellow  up  in  Clin- 
ton, he  quietly  replied, 

"Yes,  but  General  Washington  manumitted  his 
slaves  before  he  died." 

"Manu,    what?" 

"  Manumitted  them,  set  them  free,  gave  them 
their  liberty." 

"O   yes,"    and   the   man   sat   down. 

In  his  stump  speeches  effectiveness  is  his  chief 
object,  and  he  strives  with  all  the  power  in  him 


194  PINE    TO    POTOMAC 

to  conquer  his  foe,  and  is  fully  determined  to 
do  it.  He  ascertains  his  weak  point,  and  assaults 
him  there.  He  does  not  apply  his  battering-ram 
all  over  the  wall,  but  on  that  particular  place  of 
weakness.  He  sees  the  strong  points,  and  has  been 
noted  for  his  ability  to  see  almost  at  a  glance, 
the  strong  and  weak  points  of  a  bill.  This  has 
served  him  when  canvassing  for  large  majorities. 
He  would  study  the  enemy  thoroughly,  know  him 
without  mistake,  beyond  the  possibility  of  ambush 
or  surprise,  and  then  enlist  his  own  forces,  and 
enough  of  them  without  fail  for  certain  victory, 
organize  them  for  something  more  than  simple 
victory,  plan  the  battle,  and  then  call  no  halt  un- 
til the  work  was  done.  None  can  be  more  elegant 
or  choice  and  beautiful  in  the  use  of  language 
when  occasion  requires,  but  in  the  canvas  the 
great  elements  of  style  are  plainness,  great  plain- 
ness, and  force,  tremendous  force. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  a  Republican  before  there  was 
a  party,  and  has  fought,  and  written,  and  argued, 
and  plead  for  all  the  great  interests  its  existence 
has  subserved,  and  of  which  it  is  the  conserva- 
tor to-day.  That  eternal  vigilance  which  is  the 
price  of  liberty,  is  not  to  be  kept  up  on  picket 
posts  or  parapets,  but  where  laws  are  made  and 
judged  and  executed.  He  learned  his  tactics  in 
the  war  times,  and  up  to  the  last  experience  >in 
the  House,  he  fought  those  he  felt  were  traitors 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER.  195 

still  and  tried  to  crush  him ;  and  who  shall  not 
say  that  in  point  and  fact  the  South  has  ruled 
the  South  the  past  fifteen  years,  as  truly  as 
though  they  were  a  separate  people, — solid,  sepa- 
late,  and  distinct. 

When  elected  to  congress  a  great  work  opened 
up  before  Mr.  Elaine.  It  was  the  work  of  pre- 
paration. His  old  methods  of  thoroughness  must 
prevail ;  mastery  must  be  his  watchword  still. 
Augusta  was  not  Washington ;  Kennebec  county 
was  not  the  District  of  Columbia;  Maine  was 
not  the  nation,  nor  the  state  legislature  the  con- 
gress of  the  nation.  The  resources  that  gave 
him  prominence  and  power  in  one  sphere,  would 
be  but  a  small  fortune  in  the  other.  This  his- 
tory of  congress  must  be  deeply  studied,  the  his- 
tory of  men  and  of  measures.  He  must  know 
all.  There  may  be  dark  spots  on  the  sun,  but 
must  be  none  in  his  mind.  They  may  be  neces- 
sary there,  but  not  here.  The  charge  of  ig- 
norance must  not  be  his.  The  craving  to 
know  devours  all  before  it.  Just  over  there  in 
New  Hampshire  is  the  warning  of  Franklin  Pierce, 
great  in  his  own  state,  but  little  out  in  the  na- 
tion. This  is  before  him  ;  but  this  is  not  the 
incentive.  It  is  rather  the  habit  of  his  life  to 
touch  bottom,  and  sides,  and  top. 

This  was  sacred  honor  to  him,  to  carry  into 
a  place  or  position  to  which  he  is  called,  what 


196  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

will  fill  it,  or  not  to  enter.  So  now  he  gives 
the  winter  largely  to  this  work.  It  is  sacred 
work  to  him.  Manliness  demands  it ;  self-respect 
makes  it  imperative.  But  he  loves  it.  It  is  op- 
portunity to  him.  And  surely  with  all  his  former 
years  of  conquest,  no  one  ever  came  to  such 
task  with  more  of  fitness  for  the  task. 

And  yet,  though  flushed  with  victory  from  other 
fields,  the  echo  of  the  people's  cheers  still  ring- 
ing in  his  heart,  and  their  laurels  unfaded  on 
his  brow,  he  feels,  he  knows  there  is  a  lack  of 
that  strength  and  fulness  which  have  ever  been 
to  him  the  harbingers  of  victory. 

How  many  have  run  through  congress  much 
as  they  ran  for  congress,  because  they  took  it 
for  granted  that  preparation  for  a  law  office  or  a 
stump  speech  was  preparation  for  congress;  just 
as  many  a  deluded  theorist  has  drifted  from  col- 
lege out  into  life,  dreaming  that  preparation  for 
a  senior  examination  was  preparation  for  the  com- 
petition of  life. 

There  was  ever  a  charm  to  Mr.  Elaine  about 
the  study  of  character.  Gov.  Abner  Coburn  was 
Mr.  Elaine's  ideal  of  a  business  man.  He  loved 
anything  large  and  grand  in  human  nature,  and 
anybody  good  and  true,  and  Abner  Coburn,— 
as  a  man  of  great  ability,  of  great  wealth  and 
liberality,  giving  away  fifty  thousand  dollars 
at  a  time,  and  withal  a  noble  Christian  gen- 


SECOND    TERM  AS  SPEAKER.  1 97 

tleman,  —  was     to     him     among     the     best     and 
worthiest. 

He  loved  characters  if  at  all  remarkable  for 
hard  common  sense,  and  so  he  loved  to  meet 
and  talk  with  one  Miles  Standish,  from  way  up 
in  Somerset  county,  at  Flagstaff  Plantation. 
Plantations  abound  in  the  state  of  Maine.  There 
are  twenty-five  of  them  in  Aroostook  county, 
which  is  said  to  be  as  large  as  the  state  of 

[assachusetts.       These     plantations     are     a     mild 
form     of     government,     rather     below     the     usual 

>wnship   organization,   and    yet    covering   a   town- 
ship  of  land   six   miles   square. 
This   Mr.    Standish   used   frequently  to   come  to 

uigusta,    and    it    was    a    pleasant    hour    for    Mr. 

Jlaine  to  meet  him.  He  was  human  nature  in 
ide  state,  or  in  the  original  package.  Un-' 
spoiled  by  art,  or  science,  or  philosophy,  and 
yet  full  of  quaint,  original  ideas,  and  quainter 
forms  of  expression.  He  was  never  in  a  hurry 
when  he  met  him,  and  yet  it  was  not  for  sport 
or  fun  at  his  expense,  but  for  the  boldness  of 
his  personality,  and  the  rocky-like  substance  of 
his  character. 

This  was  a  great  part  of  his  effort  in  life  to 
understand  men,  to  know  them,  and  a  high 
authority  has  defined  just  this  as  common  sense. 
To  know  a  man,  says  the  distinguished  scholar 
referred  to,  is  knowledge,  but  to  know  men, 


I98  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

that  is  common  sense.  It  lets  one  out  of 
a  thousand  blunders  and  into  a  thousand  se- 
crets ;  it  gives  one  the  science  of  character- 
building,  as  one  may  have  the  science  of 
architecture.  It  is  a  study  of  the  higher  sci- 
ences, such  as  moral  and  mental,  in  their  orig- 
inal sources. 

Right  here  is  the  open  letter  of  Mr.  Elaine's 
career.  First,  he  knows  the  strong  points,  and 
then  he  knows  the  weak  points,  and  he  has  his 
man  every  time,  for  he  certainly  has  a  key  that 
will  unlock  him,  only  let  him  know  what  one 
to  use.  And  it  is  not  a  matter  of  artful,  politic 
chicanery,  and  legerdemain.  He  simply  studies 
the  individual,  and  then  with  ease  of  manner 
and  a  wise,  discriminating  grace  of  diction,  adapts 
or  adjusts  himself  to  them.  Thomas  Carlyle 
would  use  a  hurricane,  it  is  said,  to  waft  a 
feather ;  Mr.  Elaine  would  never. 

And  again  Carlyle  employed  the  weight  of  his 
mighty  genius  to  emphasize  the  sumless  worth 
of  a  man,  and  yet  he  did  not  have  common 
sense  sufficient  to  treat  half  who  called  upon 
him  with  common  civility.  What  avails  this 
solemn  prating,  impoverishing  the  lexicon  and 
wearying  genius  to  express  a  cynical,  over-wrought 
view  of  man  in  his  high-born  greatness,  if,  when 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  crosses  the  Atlantic  and 
calls  upon  him  with  compliments  of  the  highest 


SECOND    TERM  AS   SPEAKER,  1 99 

order,  he  receives  only  replies  that  sting,  and 
burn,  and  rankle  ? 

Exactly  the  reverse  of  Carlyle  has  been  the 
method  of  Mr.  Elaine.  Men  have  been  his 
glory,  his  study,  and  delight.  This  was  his  first 
work  in  Augusta,  his  first  work  in  the  state 
legislature,  his  first  work  in  congress.  And  not 
their  names  alone,  but  their  political  history, 
their  pedigree, — all  about  them.  They  must  all 
be  weighed  and  measured,  sized  and  classified. 
And  he  must  know  himself  as  well,  and  how 
far  he  can  reach,  and  how  firm  he  can  grasp, 
and  how  much  he  can  lift.  He  uses  only  the 
powers  of  his  personality,  and  these  must  all 
be  toned  and  tempered  anew. 

He  has  gone  to  congress  to  stay,  and  not  to 
experiment,  but  for  the  work  of  life.  He  car- 
ries with  him  just  the  power  to  get  the  power 
which  he  shall  need, — the  seed  corn  for  the 
large,  abundant  harvest.  But  he  must  work  and 
cultivate,  and  this  he  knows  right  well  how  to 
do,  and  so  he  does  and  will.  It  is  his  purpose, 
and  that  purpose  is  fixed. 

Right  well  he  knows  that  there  is  no  power 
that  causes  growth  like  contact  with  strong,  de- 
termined personalities,  —  intelligent,  conscientious, 
affectionate,  purposeful.  It  is  mind  that  makes 
mind  grow,  that  plants  the  seeds  and  brings  on 
the  harvest  by  the  shining  of  its  light;  and  so 


200  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

heart  by  getting  into  heart,  expands  it  and 
causes  growth,  and  conscience  rouses  conscience, 
and  will  awakens  will,  and  all  cause  growth.  He 
has  not  forgotten  those  lifts  out  of  childhood 
almost  into  manhood,  when  the  great  faces  of 
Jackson,  Harrison,  and  Clay  shone  upon  him, 
and  now  he  is  the  friend  and  confident  of  the 
great  Lincoln,  and  they  are  to  be  within  an 
evening's  call,  and  the  great  men  of  the  nation 
are  there  and  will  soon  be  etched,  photographed, 
or  painted,  and  hung  up  within  the  gallery  of 
his  large  soul 


ENTERING   CONGRESS. 


JT  is  said  that  life  in  Washington  is  a 
I  liberal  education,  social  life  in  particu- 
I  lar,  but  public  life  as  well.  The  great 
interests  of  the  nation  center  there, 
and  all  nations  are  represented  there.  Life  is 
intense  in  all  respects.  Victors  gather  there  from 
all  fields  of  contest.  They  are  at  their  best, 
and  have  multitudes  to  cheer  them  on,  or  cry 
them  down,  if  they  fail  or  falter.  The  door  of 
prosperity  to  the  country  hinges  there ;  defective 
legislation  closes  it,  and  mars  the  delicately  balanced 
confidence  in  the  business  world.  It  is  the  na- 
tion's higher  school  of  politics,  or  rather  univer- 
sity, with  all  its  great  departments.  Graduates 
from  all  the  state  academies  are  there,  taking  ob- 
servations of  the  nation  and  the  world,  discussing 
all  live  questions,  following  out  great  lines  of 
thought,  fixing  policies,  framing  laws  and  enact- 
ing them.  The  arts  and  sciences  flourish  there, 
scholars  congregate  from  all  parts  of  the  land. 
To  them  it  is  a  place  of  mighty  interests ;  in- 


PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

stitutions  and  libraries  abound,  history  is  manu- 
factured day  by  day.  Strong  men  in  pride  and 
power  are  in  their  glory  there. 

Society  is  like  a  myriad-sided  palace,  with  many 
a  gate  of  entrance  and  of  exit,  but  all  most 
deftly  closed  except  to  bearer  of  the  keys,  —  a 
palace  filled  with  light  of  knowledge,  and  re- 
splendent with  beauty ;  the  goal  of  every  clique 
and  clan  the  nation  over,  where  all  the  aristoc- 
racies of  the  Republic  may  glow  and  shine  and 
shine  and  glow,  and  all  the  courtiers  of  all  the 
nations  mingle  in  magnificent  and  pompous  array. 
Guards  are  at  every  door.  Passports  are  in  de- 
mand. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  the  7th  of  December,  1863, 
Mr.  Elaine  was  in  his  seat.  His  heart  beat  high, 
his  hopes  were  great.  Earnest  faces  of  deter- 
mined men  were  all  about  him.  The  administra- 
tration  had  a  clear  working  majority,  but  there 
could  scarcely  have  been  seventeen  Democrats 
from  New  York  to  fourteen  Union  Republicans, 
had  not  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men 
been  at  the  front  from  that  state,  and  not  per- 
mitted to  vote  until  the  presidential  election. 
And  so  with  Lincoln's  own  state  of  Illinois, 
which  just  before  the  war  gave  him  such  a  great 
majority,  now  sends  nine  Democrats  to  five  Union 
Republicans  to  congress,  and  has  over  one  hun- 
dred thousand  men  in  the  field. 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  2O3 

In  the  Pennsylvania  delegation  the  result  is 
similar,  though  the  administration  is  endorsed  by 
six  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  majority, 
—  which  would  have  been  vastly  increased  if  her 
one  hundred  thousand  soldiers  had  been  permitted 
to  vote,  as  they  were  a  year  or  two  later. 

Out  of  figures  sent  from  the  field  then  were 
shown  to  be  five  thousand  two  hundred  and  six- 
ty-seven Republican  votes  in  a  total  ballot  of 
seven  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-two,  in 
over  thirty  organizations ;  but  most  of  these  were 
from  Iowa,  a  state  with  such  Republican  major- 
ities that  when  Mr.  Elaine  was  urged  to  speak 
there  during  the  campaign  of  1876,  replied, 

"  What    is    the   use   of  burnishing  gold  ? " 

But  there  had  been  a  vast  amount  of  political 
light  spread  over  that  state  during  the  years  that 
intervened  from  1862  and  '63  to  1876. 

Mr.  Elaine  had  spent  a  year  as  a  quiet  ob- 
server and  a  deep  and  diligent  student  since  his 
election  in  September,  1862. 

No  course  could  have  been  wiser  than  the  one 
adopted  by  Mr.  Elaine.  None  from  the  state 
was  more  popular,  and  so  none  had  a  heavier 
correspondence.  It  related  to  all  departments  of 
the  government,  and  he  must  at  once  gain  influ- 
ence in  all.  And  this  he  did,  with  the  greatest 
certainty  of  results.  He  was  most  obliging.  It 
was  soon  found  out,  and  all  parties,  without  re- 


204  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

spect  to  politics,  wrote  him  for  favors  of  various 
characters,  and  they  never  appealed  in  vain. 

A  Democrat  of  the  deepest  dye,  a  malignant 
enemy  of  Mr.  Elaine  politically,  had  a  son  in 
the  army  who  had  deserted,  was  tried  by  a  court- 
martial,  found  guilty,  and  condemned  to  be  shot, 
according  to  the  army  law  in  such  cases.  The 
father  appealed  to  Mr.  Elaine  to  use  his  good 
offices  with  the  great-hearted  president  in  behalf 
of  his  son's  release. 

True  to  his  instincts  as  a  man,  and  his  fidelity 
in  all  matters  of  public  trust,  utterly  destitute 
of  a  prejudice,  and  without  a  particle  of  enmity 
to  curdle  the  milk  of  human  kindness  by  its 
lightning-stroke,  to  poison  his  motive  or  weaken 
his  purpose  to  truly  represent  the  people,  he 
went  at  once  to- Mr.  Lincoln,  and  so  presented 
the  facts,  and  plead  for  the  life  of  the  young 
man,  that  the  pardon  was  granted,  and  he  was 
transferred  from  the  guard-house  to  his  place  in 
the  regiment  at  the  front. 

And  it  is  a  simple  fact  that  a  brother  of  that 
same  young  man  hooted  the  nomination  of  Mr. 
Elaine  recently  upon  the  streets  of  Augusta.  So 
little  does  gratitude  hold  sway  in  the  breasts  of 
some ! 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that  Mr.  Elaine 
and  Mr.  Garfield  had  entered  so  nearly  together, 
and  both  so  nearly  of  an  age ;  but  they  were 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  2O5 

both  great  students,  and  ready  for  the  service 
required  at  their  hands. 

Some  have  said  that  Mr.  Elaine  spent  his  first 
term  in  congress  in  quiet  observation,  without 
being  read,  seen,  or  heard.  This  would  not  be 
his  nature.  He  would  not  be  there  if  he  was 
to  be  simply  an  onlooker.  This  he  could  be  from 
the  galleries.  Such  a  course  would  be  crucifixion, 
and  an  acknowledgment  of  inefficiency  and  in- 
competency.  Within  two  weeks  after  entrance  we 
find  him  participating  in  debate. 

The  secretary  of  war  had  sent  a  note  to  the 
Committee  on  Ways  and  Means,  requesting  an 
immediate  appropriation  of  twenty  million  dollars 
for  bounties,  to  encourage  more  rapid  enlistment. 
The  chairman  had  reported  the  item  at  once,  and 
there  was  no  delay  in  calling  it  up,  and  in  its 
discussion  he  took  part.  His  first  resolution  re- 
lated to  the  prompt  payment  of  prize-money  to 
the  officers  and  seamen  of  the  navy,  and  was 
offered  Jan.  6,  1864. 

Six  days  after  he  rose  to  oppose  the  views  of 
the  chairman  of  the  Ways  and  Means  Commit- 
tee in  appropriating  seven  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars to  pay  a  Pennsylvania  claim  only  six  months 
old,  when  claims  filed  eighteen  months  before 
by  the  state  of  Maine  were  unpaid.  It  was 
a  claim  for  enlisting,  arming,  and  organizing 
troops  to  guard  the  navy-yard  and  coast  at 


206  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

Kittery  and  Portsmouth  when  cruisers  endangered 
them. 

On  April  2ist  Mr.  Elaine  presented  his  first 
bill,  having  reference  to  this  same  subject  of  war- 
claims  of  the  state  against  the  nation,  the  sub- 
ject having  remained  in  an  unsettled  condition. 
His  bill  is  a  model  of  excellence,  providing  for  a 
commission  of  three,  appointed  by  the  president, 
to  receive,  examine,  and  endorse  state  claims,  etc., 
against  the  general  government,  and  order  the 
payment  of  the  same,  after  a  specified  time  fixed 
in  the  future,  so  heavy  were  the  drafts  then  upon 
the  national  treasury.  He  supported  the  meas- 
ure with  a  speech  of  great  breadth  of  view  and 
comprehensiveness  of  statement,  occupying  ten 
columns  of  the  Congressional  Globe,  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton's refunding  measure,  after  the  war  of  the  Rev- 
olution, was  used  in  argument,  and  also  the  adop- 
tion of  similar  measures  after  the  war  with  Eng- 
land in  1812  to  '15,  and  also  the  Mexican  war. 
He  was  replied  to  by  Mr.  Dawes  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  a  general  debate  ensued.  He  had 
now  fairly  entered  upon  his  congressional  career, 
and  seems  to  have  come  with  a  bound  into  a 
position  that  numbered  him  at  once  with  the 
leading  members.  He  was  easily  at  the  head  of 
his  delegation ;  he  commanded  the  attention  of 
the  House,  which  some  members  never  do.  He 
was  recognized,  assented  to,  opposed  in  person 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  2O/ 

and  particulars,  co-operated  with,  and  in  various 
ways  was  it  manifest  that  he  had  gained  in  a 
session  what  never  comes  to  many  members. 

We  find  his  resolutions  and  amendments  pass- 
ing; his  points  of  order  sustained.  He  is  referred 
to  on  over  fifty  pages  of  the  Congressional 
Globe,  in  remarks,  resolutions,  amendments,  bills, 
etc.  He  has  something  to  say  on  all  great 
measures  of  importance  that  come  before  the 
House.  He  shows  himself  at  home  upon  all 
the  questions  receiving  -  attention,  and  watches 
the  drift  of  proceedings  with  close  and  careful 
eye,  and  shows  an  abiding  interest  in  all  that 
is  going  on.  The  matter  in  hand  seems  ever 
to  be  just  the  matter  in  his  mind.  He  is  from 
the  start  a  "working-member."  There  are  mem- 
bers who  are  not  classed  as  working-members. 
They  listen  and  look  on ;  work  does  not  agree 
with  them ;  they  do  not  like  it.  They  have  an 
equal  chance  with  all  the  others,  but  they  are 
afraid  to  speak  out ;  to  take  a  position  and  de- 
fend it. 

Intelligence  is  an  important  factor  in  such  a 
man,  and  it  is  hardly  wise  or  best  for  a  man, 
although  he  is  a  member,  to  "speak  out  in 
meeting"  unless  he  surely  has  something  to  say 
and  knows  how  to  say  it,  and  can  really  get  it 
off,  and  to  the  point.  Men  may  go  into  battle 
by  regiments,  brigades,  corps,  and  divisions,  and 


208  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

no  man  flinch ;  but  they  do  not  act  that  way 
on  the  floor  of  congress.  It  is  worse  than  a 
battle-field  in  some  respects ;  takes  courage  of  a 
different  type.  They  must  go  in  alone,  and  fire 
away,  with  several  hundred  keen  eyes  upon  them. 
They  will  quale  and  tremble,  falter  and  trip  in 
a  little  sentence,  and  stand  there,  pale  and 
blanched  with  fear,  while  the  same  one  might 
mount  a  horse  and  charge  into  hottest  battle, 
midst  fearful  carnage,  with  the  tinge  of  highest 
courage  mantling  cheek  and  brow. 

In  his  eloquent  eulogy  of  Mr.  Garfield,  Mr. 
Elaine  says  :  "  There  is  no  test  of  a  man's  ability 
in  any  department  of  public  life  more  severe 
than  service  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 
There  is  no  place  where  so  little  deference  is 
paid  to  reputation  previously  acquired,  or  to 
eminence  won  outside ;  no  place  where  so  little 
consideration  is  shown  for  the  feelings  or  fail- 
ures of  beginners.  What  a  man  gains  in  the 
House,  he  gains  by  sheer  force  of  his  own 
character,  and  if  he  loses  and  falls  back  he 
must  expect  no  mercy,  and  will  receive  no  sym- 
pathy. It  is  a  field  in  which  the  survival  of 
the  strongest  is  the  recognized  rule,  and  where 
no  pretense  can  deceive,  and  no  glamour  can 
mislead.  The  real  man  is  discovered,  his  worth 
is  impartially  weighed,  and  his  rank  is  irrever- 
sibly decreed." 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  209 

A  long  and  strong  experience  had  convinced 
him  of  the  deep,  historic  truth  of  this  utter- 
ance. The  challenge  seemed  constantly  to  be, 
"  What  are  you  doing  here  ? "  The  waves  dashed 
high,  and  the  undertow  was  dreadful.  One  can 
easily  read  between  the  lines  the  battle  Mr. 
Elaine  had  with  himself  at  his  first  rising  in 
the  House,  which  was  simply  to  read  in  evi- 
dence, on  the  pending  discussion  a  few  sentences 
from  the  report  of  the  secretary  of  the  treasury, 
he  was  met  by  a  slight  rebuff  from  old  General 
Schenk  of  Ohio,  to  the  effect  that  the  matter 
was  irrelevant. 

He  was  not  Mr.  Speaker  any  more,  and  felt 
the  newness  of  his  situation,  but  he  belonged 
there,  and  he  proposed  to  whip  and  win,  and 
so  he  sets  himself  to  work  to  draft  a  bill,  and 
works,  and  watches  his  opportunity  for  four 
months,  and  not  until  December  2ist  is  lost  in 
April  2 ist  does  just  his  opportunity  come;  but 
when  it  came  he  showed  by  a  speech  of  nearly 
two  hours  in  length,  full  of  hard,  solid  facts, 
arguments  forged  with  something  of  the  weight 
and  power  of  thunderbolts,  bristling  with  statistics, 
and  fairly  boiling  with  his  richest  and  most  fervid 
eloquence,  that  he  knew  his  rights,  and  knowing, 
dared  maintain  them.  And  it  was  in  discussing  this 
same  bill  on  which  he  and  Schenk  had  spoken, 
and  which  had  kept  afloat,  or  anchored  in  the 


210  FINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

House  in  various  forms  of  bill,  resolve,  or  amend- 
ment, that  he  won  his  spurs  in  this  splendid 
speech.  He  did  not  let  it  come  to  final  passage 
until  he  had  shown  his  power  of  relavency,  and 
convinced  the  General  from  Ohio  that  men  were 
not  elected  speakers  up  in  Maine  until  they 
could  fairly  discriminate  between  tweedle  de  and 
tweedle  dum. 

Meantime,  what  he  said  of  Garfield  is  true  of 
him :  "  He  stepped  to  the  front  with  the  confi- 
dence of  one  who  belonged  there." 

Nineteen  of  those  who  sat  with  Mr.  Blaine 
when  he  first  took  his  place  in  the  House,  have 
been  chosen  United  States  senators  since  then. 
Many  served  well  as  governors,  and  many  in 
the  foreign  service  of  their  country.  "But  among 
them  all,  none  grew  more  rapidly ;  none  more 
firmly,"  are  his  words  of  that  other  one,  but  they 
are  just  as  true  of  himself.  His  early  course 
in  congress  was  marked  by  great  courage  and 
persistency. 

Two  others  had  failed  to  secure  the  adoption 
of  an  amendment  to  the  bill  for  the  establish- 
ment of  national  banks,  to  the  effect  that  inter- 
est should  be  uniform  when  not  fixed  by  state 
law,  and  though  it  had  been  voted  on  and  de- 
feated before ;  though  its  form  had  been  changed, 
yet  seeing  the  wisdom  of  it,  and  having  the 
courage  of  his  conviction,  he  moved  it  again, 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  211 

and  made  a  short,  ringing  speech  of  not  over 
fifteen  minutes,  and  it  was '  carried  by  a  vote  of 
sixty-nine  to  thirty-one.  Such  power  to  control 
legislation  so  soon  after  entering  congress,  clearly 
reveals  the  influence  already  gained. 

Shortly  after  this,  when  the  committee  on  the 
penitentiary  in  the  District  of  Columbia  reported 
a  bill  appropriating  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  purpose,  he  was  ready  to 
oppose.  He  had  been  one  of  the  chairmen  of 
the  prison  committee  in  the  Maine  legislature, 
had  been  on  a  committee  or  commission  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  to  visit  prisons  else- 
where and  gain  full  information  concerning  them, 
having,  with  his  customary  energy  and  thorough- 
ness, visited  seventeen,  and  found  they  were 
being  run  at  great  expense  to  the  several  states, 
and  so  he  opposed  the  bill,  as  prisoners  were 
being  kept  safely  in  prisons  already  established, 
and,  as  he  said,  the  proposed  amount  would 
only  start  the  work  and  make  many  hundred 
thousands  a  necessity. 

Whatever  the  question  of  national  or  state 
importance  that  came  before  the  House,  he  had 
made  himself  familiar  with  it.  And  so  we  find 
him  speaking  on  the  revenue,  conscription,  and 
currency  bills;  legislative  appropriation  and  tariff 
bills ;  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  and  the  civil  ap- 
propriation bills,  beside  the  bill  relating  to  Pcnn- 


212  piNE    TO    POTOMAC. 

sylvania  war-expenses.  The  terrible  battle  of 
Gettysburg!!  had  been  fought  the  summer  before, 
and  the  state  heavily  involved,  and  the  effort 
was  to  have  her  re-imbursed. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  heartily  on  the  side  of  the 
administration  and  the  war,  supporting  the 
various  measures  of  prosecution  and  relief  as 
against  the  opposition,  with  all  the  power  in  him. 
But  it  was  not  a  blind  support.  It  must  be 
wise,  intelligent,  and  discriminating,  to  put  him 
in  the  fullest  action,  and  bring  on  what  might 
so  soon  be  termed  accustomed  triumph. 

But  there  came  a  day  on  the  twenty-first  of 
June,  and  during  the  first  session  of  his  first 
congress, — the  thirty-eighth, — that  a  bill  came 
into  the  House  embodying  a  report  from 
James  B.  Fry  provost-marshal  general,  endorsed 
definitely  by  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  secretary  of 
war,  and  concurred  in  by  Abraham  Lincoln, 
proclaiming  the  conscription  act  a  failure.  The 
bill  had  come  from  the  committee  on  military 
affairs,  through  their  chairman.  The  exact  point 
in  the  bill  that  had  proved  objectionable,  and 
which  they  desired  expunged,  was  what  is  known 
as  the  three  hundred  dollar  clause,  enabling  any 
drafted  man  by  the  payment  of  the  above  sum 
to  procure  a  substitute,  and  so  be  relieved  him- 
self. This  very  feature  of  the  bill  Mr.  Blaine 
had  incorporated  as  his  first  amendment  offered 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  21$ 

in  congress,  and  enforced  by  a  vigorous  speech, 
which  carried  it  through,  and  now  a  repeal  of 
it  would  compel  any  business  man  in  the  country, 
if  drafted,  to  go  at  once,  provided  only  he  was 
fit  for  military  service.  This  would  take  the 
best  physician,  with  the  largest  practice,  in  the 
greatest  city  of  the  Union. 

"Such  a  conscription,"  said  Mr.  Elaine,  "was 
never  resorted  to  but  once,  even  in  the  French 
Empire,  under  the  absolutism  of  the  First  Napo- 
leon ;  and  for  the  congress  of  the  United  States 
to  attempt  its  enforcement  upon  their  constit- 
uents is  to  ignore  the  best  principles  of  repub- 
lican representative  government." 

Remarkable  as  it  may  seem,  and  specially  so 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  had  but  fifteen 
minutes  granted  him  to  speak,  his  motion  pre- 
vailed by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  to  fifty.  Such 
men  as  Boutwell,  Brooks,  Dawes,  McDowell, 
Edward  H.  Rollins,  Schofield,  Wadsworth,  and 
Wheeler,  stood  with  him.  Mr.  Stanton's  idea 
was  that  by  forcing  into  the  field  a  great  army 
of  soldiers  the  war  might  be  speedily  terminated. 
But  freemen  cannot  be  dealt  with  as  slaves. 
There  is  a  vast  difference  between  the  purely 
military  and  the  truly  civil  view  of  a  question. 

A  few  days  after  the  same  bill  was  up  again, 
for  further  repairs,  when  we  get  a  fine  view  of 
Mr.  Blaine.  It  was  Saturday  afternoon,  June  25, 


214  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

1864.  Mr.  Mallory,  of  Kentucky,  was  making  a 
long  speech  against  the  feature  of  the  bill  that 
provided  for  enlisting  the  negro,  when  he  ob- 
served Mr.  Elaine  watching  him.  He  said,  — 

"My  friend  from  Maine  (Mr.  Blaine),  who  seems 
to  be  listening  so  attentively,  lived  in  Kentucky 
once,  and  knows  the  negro  and  his  attributes, 
and  he  knows,  if  he  will  tell  you  what  he 
knows,  that  they  won't  fight." 

Mr.  Blaine:  "From  a  residence  of  five  years 
in  Kentucky,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  from 
what  I  saw  of  the  negroes,  that  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  fight  in  them." 

After  a  pleasant  colloquy,  he  went  on  to 
state  that  during  the  Crimean  war  Egypt  fur- 
nished Turkey  fifteen  regiments  of  negroes  of 
pure  blood,  unmixed  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  and  as  good  troops  as  ever  marched  upon 
European  soil.  And  so  the  debate  went  on. 
One  thing  seems  quite  evident:  Mr.  Blaine  had 
come  to  feel  perfectly  at  home  on  the  floor  of 
the  House.  His  quiet  ways  and  quick-witted  re- 
plies ;  the  conversational  character  of  the  proceed- 
ings at  times,  in  which  he  participates ;  his 
familiarity  with  men  and  their  almost  constant 
recognition  of  him ;  the  fluent  and  undisturbed 
character  of  his  sentences ;  the  general  ease  and 
pleasure  of  the  man,  and  the  home-like  air  that 
seems  constantly  to  surround  him,  show  that  he 


ENTER ING    CONGRESS.  215 


is  in  his  element.  But  he  is  always  there,  and 
very  attentive,  keeping  up  with  the  great  de- 
bates as  they  are  carried  on  day  after  day. 
Nothing  seems  to  escape  him,  and  every  move 
is  a  cautious  one.  Even  then  he  must  have 
been  the  pride  of  his  state. 

He  had  not  listened  so  attentively  to  the 
speech  of  the  Kentuckian,  Mr.  Mallory,  for 
naught,  in  which  it  was  asserted  that  Mr.  Lin- 
coln issued  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  in 
consequence  of  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon 
him  by  a  meeting  of  governors  of  the  loyal 
states,  at  Altoona,  Penn.,  the  autumn  of  1862. 
Having  armed  himself  with  documentary  proof, 
so  that  he  might  be  doubly  sure,  though  his 
memory  told  him  he  was  right,  he  thus  cor- 
ners the  gentleman  in  the  neatest  manner  pos- 
sible. 

"  I  understood  the  gentleman  (Mr.  Mallory,  of 
Kentucky)  to  assert,"  said  Mr.  Elaine,  "and  to 
reiterate  with  great  emphasis,  that  the  Emancipa- 
tion Proclamation  was  issued  in  consequence  of 
the  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  the  president 
by  the  meeting  of  the  governors  at  Altoona,  in 
the  autumn  of  1862." 

Mr.  Mallory.  "I  said  it  was  issued  in  conse- 
quence of  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  by  these 
governors." 

Mr.    Elaine.      "Will     the     gentleman     state    at 


2l6 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


what      date     the      president's      proclamation      was 
issued*?" 

Mr.   Mallory.     "On   the   22d   of   September." 

Mr.  Elaine.  "Will  the  gentleman  state  further 
at  what  date  the  meeting  of  the  governors  took 
place  at  Altoona?" 

Mr.    Mallory.     "Some   days   before." 

Mr.  Elaine.  "  Not  at  all,  sir.  That  meeting 
was  on  the  24th  of  September,  two  days  after 
the  proclamation  was  issued." 

Mr.    Mallory.     "Oh,    no." 

Mr.  Elaine.  "Yes,  sir;  I  am  correct.  I  had 
a  personal  recollection  of  the  date,  and  I  have 
further  certified  it  by  documentary  evidence, 
which  I  sent  for  and  now  hold  in  my  hand." 

Of   course   the   man    squirmed   and    tried   to    es 
cape,    but   he    was    held    by   a    firm   hand   to   th 
grave   discrepancy   of    which    he   had   been   guilty 
involving    the    governors   of    all    the    loyal    state 
in    an    instigation    of    which    they   were    guiltless 
as    a    body     of    men,    in    convention     assemble 
Then   he    tried   to    escape   by   asserting    that    th 
governors   were   on   at    Washington,    laboring   wit 
the  president   to   secure    the    same   end.     But    h 
was    assured    most    emphatically,     that    such    w 
not   the   case,    as    they   all    were    extremely   busy 
and   no    time    for  a    week's    excursion    to    Wash 
ington. 

Governor     Washburn,     of     Maine,  '  had     invited 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  2I/ 


Mr.  Elaine  to  accompany  him  to  this  meeting 
of  the  governors,  but  pressure  of  duties  forbade. 

Mr.  Elaine  closed  the  little  contest  for  su- 
premacy, with  the  Kentucky  gentleman,  with  this 
single  sentence:  "The  anachronism  into  which 
my  friend  has  been  led,  and  which  I  have  thus 
pointed  out,  is  quite  as  conclusive  in  the  prem- 
ises as  Mr.  Weller  hoped  the  alibi  would  prove 
in  the  celebrated  Pickwickian  trial." 

A  pleasant  thing  about  the  episode  is  that 
Mr.  Boutwell,  of  Massachusetts,  afterwards  Presi- 
dent Grant's  secretary  of  the  treasury,  yielded 
his  own  time  upon  the  floor  to  Mr.  Elaine,  for 
the  friendly  tilt  in  the  interest  of  the  Union, 
and  the  pending  war-measure. 

It  proved  conclusively  that  congress  is  no 
place  for  a  Fourth  of  July  oration,  but  for  clear 
heads,  well-managed  tongues,  and  brave  hearts, 
such  as  Mr.  Elaine  seems  never  to  be  without. 

A  long  session  of  congress  was  being  held 
on  into  the  middle  of  summer,  and  many  of 
the  old  laws  relating  to  slavery  were  being  abol- 
ished, among  them  one  that  related  to  the 
coastwise  slave-trade,  which  was  interlaced  with 
the  coastwise  trade  of  rightful  commerce.  It 
comprised  thirty-two  sections,  so  bound  up  to- 
gether as  to  make  a  sort  of  a  code  on  the 
subject.  It,  of  course,  bore  directly  upon  the 
shipping  interests  of  Maine,  and  brought  Mr. 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


Elaine  to  his  feet  more  than  once  during  th< 
discussion.  The  effort  was  made  to  revise  them 
in  the  interest  of  New  York  city,  and  so  dis- 
criminate sharply  against  New  England  ports. 
The  condition  of  that  city,  at  this  time,  was 
very  bad  politically.  It  was  about  the  time  of 
the  draft-riots,  when  Tilden  addressed  the  mob, 
calling  the  rioters  "My  friends."  Of  course  Mr. 
Elaine  was  thoroughly  informed,  and  he  made  a 
strong  point  against  the  measure  of  the  New 
York  member,  Mr.  Brooks.  "To-day,"  he  said, 
"in  New  York  city,  the  sentiment  is  anti-Amer- 
ican, and  were  it  submitted  to  voters  of  the 
city  of  New  York  now,  whether  they  would 
have  Jeff  Davis  president,  or  a  loyal  Republican 
Union  man,  North,  Jeff  Davis  would  have  thirty 
thousand  votes  ahead,"  and  a  voice  said,  "  What 
of  that?"  And  Mr.  Erooks,  the  gentleman  from 
New  York,  admitted  that  there  were  fifty  thou- 
sand majority  now  in  New  York  city  opposed 
to  Abraham  Lincoln. 

This  was  six  months  and  seven  days  after  the 
Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  and  showed  that, 
though  the  great  heart  of  that  noble  state  beat 
true,  and,  as  was  a  fact,  had  sent  about  two 
hundred  thousand  troops  to  the  war,  yet  the 
mass  in  the  city,  left  behind,  were  weakening 
largely  the  Union  cause.  It  was  a  feature  of 
the  struggle  with  slavery  continually  felt,  not 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  2 19 

only  in  congress,  but  in  the  execution  of  laws 
for  the  strengthening  of  the  cause. 

In  reply  to  "What  of  that?"  —  that  is,  what 
of  it  if  Jeff  Davis  could  receive  thirty  thousand 
majority  in  New  York  city — he  said:  "Just  this: 
if  gentlemen  suppose  that  the  whole  country 
will  contribute  to  the  prosperity  and  growth  of 
the  city  under  such  circumstances,  they  are  un- 
der a  perfect  delusion,"  and  then  he  went  for 
the  man  who  said  "What  of  that?"  in  his  own 
princely  style. 

He  encounters  first  "Sunset"  Cox,  then  of 
Ohio,  now  of  New  York,  the  wit  of  the  House, 
and  there  is  a  perfect  fusilade  of  questionings 
and  replies,  sharp  retorts  and  pertinent  sallies, 
and  though  they  are  after  him  from  all  sides, 
Cox,  Randall,  Arnold,  Brooks,  yet  he  holds  his 
position  with  a  fearless  hand,  standing  firm  as 
an  admiral  on  the  deck  of  his  flag-ship  in  the 
squadron,  amid  the  boom  and  smoke,  the  thun- 
der, and  flash,  and  roar  of  a  naval  engagement; 
just  as  intrepid,  just  as  grand;  no  twitching  of 
nerve,  or  faltering  of  muscle;  he  is  commander 
of  the  situation,  and  never  strikes  his  flag, 

Nearly  a  month  before  the  adjournment  of 
congress  the  Union  National  Republican  Conven- 
tion met  at  Baltimore  (June  7),  to  nominate  a 
president. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  regarded  as  too  conserv- 


220  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

ative  by  the  extreme  radical  wing  of  the  party, 
notwithstanding  the  slaves  were  free,  and  armed, 
and  organized  by  the  thousands  in  defence  of 
the  Union ;  and  Grant  had  been  so  successful  in 
the  West,  he  had  been  brought  East  and  made 
lieutenant-general,  having  fought  his  way  from 
Fort  Henry  to  Pittsburgh  Landing,  to  Vicksburg, 
and  to  Chattanooga.  But  the  war  had  been  pro- 
longed beyond  the  expectation  of  the  people. 
Rebels  were  still  on  the  banks  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock  and  the  Tennessee.  A  few  defeats,  loss 
of  men,  great  expenditures  of  money,  and  a  rather 
dormant  campaign  during  the  winter,  had  pro- 
duced some  despondency  and  doubt. 

Secretary  Chase,  with  his  powerful  position  in 
the  cabinet  and  at  the  head  of  the  treasury,  was 
known  to  be  seeking  the  presidency,  and  so  he 
became  the  centre  around  which  clustered  various 
elements  of  discontent  and  opposition.  He  was 
the  head,  it  is  said,  of  the  radical  forces  in  the 
cabinet,  as  Mr.  Seward  was  of  the  conservative 
forces.  But  though  a  man  of  great  prominence, 
and  of  great  power,  a  man  with  a  splendid  rec- 
ord as  a  political  chief  of  the  Free-soil  party 
that  had  battled  slavery  before  the  war,  his  legis- 
lature "of  Ohio  pronounced  for  Mr.  Lincoln,  and 
Mr.  Chase  at  once  withdrew. 

But  everything  was  at  fever-heat.  The  "rad- 
ical men  of  the  nation "  were  invited  to  meet  at 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  221 

Cleveland  on  the  3ist  of  May,  eight  days  before 
the  Republican  Convention  met  at  Baltimore. 
"It  was  simply  a  mass  convention  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  persons,  claiming  to  come  from 
fifteen  states."  General  Fremont  was  put  forward 
as  candidate  for  president,  and  Gen.  John  Coch- 
ranc,  of  New  York,  for  vice-president,  and  all  in 
violent  opposition  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  as  the  call  in- 
dicated, and  General  Fremont's  letter  of  accept- 
ance confirmed.  If  anybody  else  was  nominated, 
he  would  not  be  a  candidate. 

This  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Mr.  Elaine 
went  with  his  delegation  to  Baltimore,  where 
Union  troops  were  first  fired  upon  less  than  three 
years  before. 

It  seems  exceeding  strange  as  we  look  back 
upon  it  now,  that  any  one  could  be  found  in  all 
the  North,  and  especially  among  his  party,  men 
who  could  oppose  a  man  so  great  and  worthy  as 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  even  attack  the  wisdom  of 
l\is  administration  and  the  rectitude  of  his  inten- 
tions, just  as  some  were  found  to  attack  Wash- 
ington, notwithstanding  the  magnitude  of  his  ser- 
vice, the  splendor  of  his  life,  and  the  magnificen  xe 
of  his  character. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  among  the  staunchest  friends  of 
the  president,  and  cannot  look,  even  from  this 
distance  of  years,  with  any  respect,  upon  the  ac- 
tions of  those  who  sought  to  undermine  him. 


222  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

He  regarded  it  as  unwise,  cruel,  and  next  to  dis- 
loyalty. But  it  availed  not,  —  he  was  too  proudly 
enthroned  amid  the  affections  of  the  people,  so 
that  every  effort  of  opposition  but  increased  their 
love  and  zeal  for  him,  and  made  his  nomination, 
which  came  in  due  time,  doubly  sure. 

This  convention,  in  which  Mr.  Elaine  bore  so 
signal  a  part,  was  full  of  interest,  not  only  for 
the  sake  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  but  also  of  Vice-presi- 
dent Hannibal  Hamlin,  of  his  own  state. 

Many  eminent  men  were  included  in  its  roll  of 
delegates.  Not  less  than  five  of  the  leading  war- 
governors  were  chosen  to  participate  in  its  coun- 
cils. Vermont  sent  Solomon  Foote,  who  had 
stood  faithful  in  the  senate  during  the  struggle 
before  the  war.  Massachusetts  had  commissioned 
her  eloquent  governor,  John  A.  Andrew.  Henry 
J.  Raymond,  Daniel  S.  Dickinson,  and  Lyman 
Tremaine  were  there  from  New  York.  New  Jer- 
sey and  Ohio  each  sent  two  ex-governors,  —  Mar- 
cus L.  Ward  and  William  A.  Newell  from  the 
former,  and  William  Dennison  and  David  Tod 
from  the  latter.  Simon  Cameron,  Thaddeus  Ste- 
vens, and  Ex-Speaker  Grow,  of  Pennsylvania ;  Gov- 
ernor Blair  and  Omer  D.  Conger,  of  Michigan ; 
Angus  Cameron,  of  Wisconsin,  and  George  W. 
McCrary,  of  Iowa,  were  among  the  other  dele- 
gates. 

Governor  Morgan,  of  New  York,  called  the  con- 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  22$ 

vention  to  order,  and  Dr.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge 
was  chosen  temporary  chairman,  who,  on  taking 
the  chair,  delivered  the  great  speech  of  the  con- 
vention, as  Mr.  Elaine  thinks.  It  impressed  him 
deeply,  and  he  refers  to  it  with  emotions  of  ad- 
miration to-day. 

He  was  a  tall,  sturdy  man,  of  Scotch  extrac- 
tion and  advanced  in  years,  which,  with  his  his- 
tory, inspired  reverence.  His  speech  was  "sharp, 
sinewy,  and  defiant."  He  had  been  reared  amidst 
Slavery,  but  was  for  the  Union.  "  The  nation 
shall  not  be  destroyed,"  he  said.  "  We  shall 
change  the  Constitution  if  it  suits  us  to  do  so. 
The  only  enduring,  the  only  imperishable  cement 
of  all  free  institutions,  has  been  the  blood  of 
traitors,"  he  said  with  thrilling  effect ;  and  added 
regarding  Slavery,  "Use  all  power  to  exterminate 
and  extinguish  it." 

"Next  to  the  official  platform  itself,"  said  Mr. 
Elaine,  "the  speech  of  Doctor  Breckenridge  was 
the  most  inspiring  utterance  of  the  convention." 
Every  vote  in  the  convention  was  cast  for  Mr. 
Lincoln  on  the  first  ballot,  except  twenty-two  from 
Missouri,  which,  by  instruction,  were  cast  for  Gen- 
eral Grant. 

When   congress   adjourned,   July   4th,    the   great 
campaign     opened,     and     into     it     plunged     Mr.  . 
Elaine    with    all    the    fiery     ardor    of     which    his 
nature  was    competent,   and    patriotism   prompted, 


224  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

and     his     personal     friendship     for     Mr.     Lincoln 
could   inspire. 

Gen.  George  B.  McClellan,  who  had  been  the 
idol  of  the  army  for  two  years  and  a  half,  was 
nominated  by  the  Democrats.  Mr.  Elaine  denom- 
inates it  "a  canvass  of  extraordinary  interest  and 
critical  importance."  And  such  indeed  it  was, 
coming  as  it  did  right  in  the  midst  of  the  great 
war,  when  over  a  million  men  were  in  arms  on 
the  continent,  and  the  great  summer  and  fall 
campaigns  were  to  be  fought.  It  was,  indeed,  a 
critical  time  for  heated  discussions,  the  grinding 
of  opposition,  the  friction  of  parties,  constant  irri- 
tation, not  only  at  home,  throughout  every  city, 
village,  and  hamlet  of  the  North,  but  throughout 
the  army,  in  every  camp  and  hospital,  on  the 
march,  at  picket,  post,  and  bivouac, — for  the  sol- 
diers were  to  vote. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  perilous  time.  No  tongue 
can  tell,  no  mind  can  even  dream,  the  results 
that  would  have  followed  Mr.  Lincoln's  defeat; 
what  reversals  of  history;  what  undoing  of 
mighty  deeds;  what  paralysis  of  moral  power  in 
the  nation ;  what  defeat  of  principle ;  what  com- 
promise with  wrong ;  what  stagnation,  downfall, 
death.  But  it  was  not  to  be ;  it  could  not  be. 
High  heaven's  decree  was  otherwise.  Incompe- 
tence was  not  to  be  rewarded.  The  great 
North,  when  it  spoke  out  for  all  the  world  to 


ENTERING    CONGRESS,  22$ 

hear,  had  no  premium  to  place  upon  supposed 
disloyalty.  The  old  ship  of  state  was  not  to 
change  captains  in  mid-ocean  ;  he  who  had 
brought  her  by  island,  and  rock,  and  reef,  through 
storm  and  te*Vnpest,  through  cyclone  and  hurri- 
cane, safely  thus  far,  was  no  Jonah,  to  be  cast 
overboard  now.  Few  people  in  all  the  world 
can  know  more  clearly,  feel  more  deeply,  and 
act  more  strongly  when  things  thoroughly  arouse, 
than  the  American  people,  and  none  have  more 
to  rouse  them  at  times.  Indeed,  we  have  the 
cream  of  all  the  nations,  and  so  strike  high 
above  the  average.  We  heard  of  "thinking  bay- 
onets "  back  there,  and  fife,  and  drum,  and  horn 
that  spoke  the  thoughts  and  love  of  men.  The 
triumph  was  complete. 

There  were  but  twenty-one  votes  in  the  elec- 
toral college,  when  autumn  came,  for  McClellan, 
and  two  hundred  and  twelve  for  Mr.  Lincoln. 
The  decree  of  a  holy  Providence  had  been  re- 
corded with  an  emphasis  as  unmistakable  as 
doubtless  would  have  been  the  case  had  the 
Great  Emancipator  of  Israel  been  subjected  to 
a  test-vote  in  the  wilderness. 

It  is  probable  that  no  period  of  the  nation's 
history  is  so  bright  with  victories,  both  civil  and 
military,  as  the  sixty  days  succeeding  the  con- 
vention at  Chicago,  Aug.  29,  1864,  which  nom- 
inated General  McClellan  for  the  presidency, — a 


226  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

period  in  which  the  labors  of  Mr.  Elaine  were  in- 
defatigable for  the  Union  cause,  and  to  which  he 
referred  with  the  emphasis  of  a  life-time  interest. 

The  Democrats  voted  the  war  a  failure,  and 
then  placed  its  leading  general  up  to  within 
less  than  a  year  before,  upon  their  platform. 
And  yet,  while  they  were  declaring  the  war  a 
failure,  the  news  came  that  Fort  Morgan  was 
captured,  and  Sherman  took  Atlanta  the  day  af- 
ter they  adjourned,  and  speedily  came  the  suc- 
cesses of  Admiral  Farragut  in  Mobile  Bay. 

A  proclamation  of  thanksgiving  was  issued  by 
President  Lincoln  for  the  great  Union  victories 
within  two  days  after  they  had  proposed,  practi- 
cally, to  surrender  to  traitors ;  and  Secretary 
Seward  said  in  a  public  speech,  "Sherman  and 
Farragut  have  knocked  the  planks  out  of  the 
Chicago  platform." 

Meanwhile  Grant  held  Lee  in  a  vise  at  Pe- 
tersburgh,  and  Sheridan,  within  three  weeks  of 
Sherman's  capture  of  Atlanta,  had  dashed  down 
the  Shenandoah  valley  and  won  three  brilliant 
victories  in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Fisher's 
Hill,  and  Cedar  Creek. 

The  political  effect  of  these  victories  was  just 
what  Mr.  Lincoln  had  predicted.  "With  re- 
verses in  the  field,"  he  said,  "the  case  is  doubt- 
ful at  the  polls ;  but  with  victory  in  the  field, 
the  election  will  take  care  of  itself." 


ENTERING    CONGRESS. 


And  then  came  the  civil  victories, — Maine 
and  Vermont  in  September  (and  Mr.  Blaine  was 
still  chairman  of  the  Republican  State  Central 
Committee  in  Maine,  and  had  to  plan  the  entire 
campaign,  secure  speakers,  etc.,  etc.) ;  then  in 
October,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  and  Indiana,  wheeled 
into  line,  and  "registered  in  advance  the  edict 
of  the  people  in  regard  to  the  presidency." 

Mr.  Blaine  had  usually  to  remain  in  his  own 
state  each  summer  after  the  adjournment  of 
congress,  until  after  the  election,  and  they  had 
one  each  year,  which  occurred  the  second  Mon- 
day in  September,  and  as  this  would  come  from 
the  eighth  to  the  twelfth  of  the  month  it  gave 
him  from  fifty  to  sixty  days  for  campaign-work 
in  other  states,  which,  during  presidential  years, 
was  fully  and  heartily  improved.  He  was  greatly 
sought  for,  and  would  draw  immense  audiences, 
and  kindle  an  enthusiasm  which  would  blaze  and 
burn,  and  smoulder,  and  then  blaze  forth  again. 
II is  offer  of  a  thousand  dollars  a  line  for  any- 
thing that  he  has  written  the  past  year,  express- 
ing in  any  way  a  desire  for  the  nomination,  is 
proof  that  his  nomination  is  but  the  result  of 
the  old  smouldering  fires  of  almost  boundless 
and  unquenchable  enthusiasm  blazing  forth  anew. 
These  fires  that  are  burning  now  have  been 
kindled  for  ten  or  twenty  years,  and  they  have 
been  chiefly  lighted  during  these  fifty  or  sixty 


228  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

days  intervening  between  September  elections  in 
Maine  and  the  October  and  November  elections 
in  other  states.  While  others  might  go  to  the 
mountains  or  sea-shore  to  rest  and  rust,  he  would 
breathe  for  two  or  three  days,  and  respond  to 
some  of  the  numerous  calls  for  help  where  the 
brunt  of  battle  was  heaviest,  or  the  enemy 
seemed  strong  and  desperate. 

He  was  always  a  hard  hitter,  and  never  played 
at  politics.  It  was  business  with  him,  and  war. 
He  would  wring  the  neck  of  a  political  heresy 
with  all  the  gusto  an  old  Scotch  Covenanter 
would  experience  in  hounding  to  the  death  a 
religious  heresy,  There  is  such  a  thing  as  polit- 
ical truth  and  political  virtue  to  him.  It  is  not 
fancy  and  foible,  chimera  and  dream,  phantasm 
and  fable,  but  granite  truth,  and  principle  rock- 
like  and  firm  as  adamant. 

Something  was  fought  for  in  the  war,  and  that 
something  has  been  worth  preserving,  and  is 
to-day. 

It  is  Liberty  in  purest  form  and  on  grandest 
scale  this  world  has  ever  known ;  the  life  of  all 
prosperity,  the  very  spirit  of  peace,  the  inspira- 
tion of  all  development,  the  law  of  all  growth, 
and  the  harbinger  of  hope's  brightest  anticipa- 
tions. 

And  so  Mr.  Elaine  has  done  his  great,  best 
work,  not  simply  in  the  light  of  glowing  idols, 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  22Q 

but  in  the  glow  of  great  victories  achieved,  and 
the  substance  of  great  realities  enjoyed,  in  a 
mental  and  moral  realization  ;  and  a  country 
broad,  and  grand,  and  free ;  its  great  cities, 
rivers,  forests,  lakes,  its  ocean,  mountains,  prai- 
ries, plains,  and  all  its  five  and  fifty  million  peo- 
ple, to  him  a  joy. 

He  takes  it  in  and  calls  it  ours,  —  the  fair 
inheritance  of  a  people  free,  —  for  we  inherit 
one  another  too,  in  all  that  constitutes  society, 
community,  city,  and  country. 

We  said  he  hit  hard,  struck  out  to  win.  It  is 
true.  Each  man  before  him  must  squirm  or 
cheer.  There  were  no  lookers  on ;  he  had  no 
idle  issues,  but  live  ones ;  personal,  and  things 
of  destiny. 

When  in  Ohio  once  with  Congressman  Bing- 
ham,  —  and  he  did  not  go  that  far  from  home 
for  nothing,  —  he  goi:  up  a  little  political  hail- 
storm for  the  special  benefit  of  the  Democrats 
present.  Such  a  storm  is  usually  produced  by 
two  dark  clouds  coming  together,  heavily  charged 
with  the  double  extract  of  electricity  and  other 
substances.  He  brought  one  of  those  clouds  with 
him  and  manufactured  the  other  one  on  the 
spot  out  of  materials  in  the  audience. 

The  result  was  a  good  many  were  hit,  and 
hail  hurts  when  it  has  a  fair  chance  to  strike, 
and  as  that  was  well  aimed  it  struck  square. 


230  PlffE    TO    POTOMAC. 

Among  others,  a  man  from  the  "old  sod," — an 
Irishman,  —  who  had  in  him  what  is  rare  in 
Maine,  —  whiskey,  —  so  after  the  speaking  he 
made  for  Mr.  Elaine,  determined  to  try  his 
shillalah  upon  the  cranium  of  the  honorable  gen- 
tleman, but  just  as  he  came  up,  Bookwalter, 
who  ran  for  governor,  seized  him,  and  gave  him 
the  direction  of  the  comet  which  did  not  know 
how  it  came  there,  or  where  it  was  going.  At 
all  events,  he  did  not  get  the  whirl,  and  twist, 
and  buzz  out  of  him  in  time  to  find  out  where 
he  was,  or  Mr.  Blaine  either,  or  to  reform  his 
purpose  and  execute  it. 

It  is  said  Henry  Clay's  speeches  had  the  most 
effect  at  the  time  they  were  delivered,  and  that 
Daniel  Webster's  speeches  had  more  effect  a 
week  afterwards,  when  people  had  had  time  to 
think  them  over,  than  at  the  time  they  were 
delivered. 

You  must  combine  these  views  to  get  at  the 
truth  regarding  Mr.  Blaine's  speeches.  They  have 
tremendous  effect  when  delivered,  and  great  power 
afterward.  His  illustrations,  taken  right  out  of 
daily  life,  would  catch  and  hold  the  thought, 
and  illuminate  the  mind,  and  make  themselves 
remembered.  They  would  not  let  go ;  like  some 
of  the  things  that  have  clung  to  us  through 
life,  we  don't  hold  on  to  them,  they  hold  on 
themselves. 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  23! 

A  speech  we  heard  from  him  years  ago  will 
never  leave  us.  It  was  on  the  currency  ques- 
tion, which  was  discussed  for  years,  and,  like 
Banco's  ghost,  would  not  down. 

His   first   sentence   will    never  be  forgotten.     It 

was    characteristic    of    the   man,   and   expressed   a 

great   principle   of    his   political   philosophy.      This 

was    it :    "  A    thing    is    never    settled    until    it    is 

"settled  right." 

How  true  that  was  of  Slavery !  how  true  of 
the  currency  question  !  how  true  of  every  great 
question  of  moral  or  religious  reform  !  Until  it 
is  settled  right  it  is  like  a  piece  of  glass  in 
the  eye,  you  can  not  get  it  into  a  comfortable 
position  ;  you  move  it  and  arrange  and  re-arrange 
it,  and  think  now  that  it  is  fixed  for  certain, 
and  just  as  it  ceases  to  vex  you, — like  the 
crooked  stick  in  the  fable,  so  crooked  it  could 
not  lie  still,  —  it  turns  over. 

In  that  same  speech, — and  it  moved  and  swayed 
thousands  then,  and  clings  to  them  yet  like  an 
influence  of  magic  power,  moving  and  swaying 
them  still,  in  it  was  a  little  simple  reference  to 
experience  he  had  in  California,  and  it  was  be- 
fore specie  payments  had  been  resumed,  but  they 
were  on  a  gold  basis  out  on  the  Pacific  coast. 
He  had  gone  into  a  bank  to  get  a  check  of 
three  hundred  dollars  cashed,  and  he  said,  "Give 
me  gold,"  and  they  gave  him  gold,  and  he  di- 


232  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

videcl  it  up  and  put  it  in  all  his  pockets  to  bal- 
ance the  load,  and  he  went  about  the  city  calling 
here  and  there,  going  up  long  stairways,  and  over 
great  establishments,  and  all  the  while  that  gold 
was  getting  heavier.  He  would  change  it  about 
and  carry  some  in  his  hand.  It  was  such  a  lux- 
ury to  have  gold  and  not  pay  any  premium  on  it. 
But  finally  it  was  too  much  for  him,  and  in  a  sort 
of  desperation  he  went  back  to  the  bank,  and 
asked  them  if  they  would  not  give  him  green- 
backs for  that  gold,  and  the  man  said  "Yes,"  and 
he  took  the  little  roll  of  green-backs  and  put  it 
in  his  vest-pocket,  and  was  not  bothered  any 
more.  He  acted  out  the  scene  with  dramatic 
effect.  The  incident  gave  all  a  new  love  for  the 
greenback,  and  less  thirst  for  gold. 

It  was  his  delight  all  through  that  speech  to 
get  questions  from  the  audience,  and  so  settle 
their  difficulties  by  giving  them  just  the  infor- 
mation desired. 

His  power  with  an  audience  lay  largely  in  this 
method  of  questioning.  He  drew  near  to  them, 
or  rather  drew  them  near  to  him,  was  helpful 
and  kindly ;  he  would  stop  in  his  speech  and  talk 
with  anyone  in  the  audience  that  had  sensible 
questions  to  ask,  and  so  was  down  to  earth  all 
the  time,  and  not  up  among  the  clouds  "career- 
ing on  the  gale."  And  thus  he  really  did  some- 
thing, really  accomplished  it,  and  so  made  prog- 


ENTERING    CONGRESS.  233 

ress.  He  did  not  fly  any  eagle,  he  did  not  have 
one  along. 

Some  grocer  or  laboring  man  in  the  crowd 
asked  a  question  about  the  revenue  on  sugar, 
which  Mr.  Elaine  did  not  get  at  first,  and  an 
aristocrat  on  the  platform  said,  "  O,  never  mind 
him,  go  on  with  your  speech,"  but  he  had 
said  "What,"  and  was  eagerly  listening  to  get 
the  man's  thought,  and  said  quickly  to  the 
honorable  gentleman,  "  Keep  still,"  and  waved  his 
hand  back  at  him  to  keep  quiet,  and  he  heard 
the  laboring  man's  question  fairly,  and  answered 
it,  too. 

It  made  all  respect  him  the  more,  and  beside, 
that  was  his  speech.  It  was  his  way  of  getting 
error  out  of  the  mind  and  truth  in.  It  does 
not  do  much  good  to  shoot  off  a  quantity  of 
powder  out  doors.  It  will  make  a  big  flash  and 
smoke  and  noise,  but  what  of  that ;  put  it  in  a 
cannon  behind  a  ball  and  give  it  aim,  and  then 
touch  it  off,  and  there  will  be  execution. 

Mr.  Elaine's  method  of  getting  the  light  into 
the  people  was  by  getting  the  dark  out  ;  like 
the  Dutchman  who  put  a  window  into  his  barn 
to  let  the  dark  out,  but  the  same  process  that 
let  the  dark  out,  let  the  light  in. 

He  had  gotten  this  colloquial  style,  it  may  be 
in  congress,  or  in  Yankee  land  where  they  "raise 
questions."  It  is  a  part  of  a  real  live  Yankee's 


234  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

life-work  to  ask  questions.  This  is  his  birth-right, 
an  inheritance  of  the  soil. 

But  the  practice  is  very  prevalent  in  congress, 
where  there  are  a  great  many  lawyers  who  are 
skilled  in  questioning  witnesses,  and  it  is  a  habit 
with  them,  carried  from  their  practice  in  the 
courts  to  the  halls  of  legislation ;  and  it  is  a 
very  convenient  and  serviceable  habit,  as  the  re- 
cord of  proceedings  clearly  shows. 

It  may  be  recalled  that  the  campaign  of  1864 
was  prosecuted  so  effectually  that  while  McClel- 
lan  received  twenty-one  electoral  votes,  only  one 
of  the  eighteen  free  states  voting  thus  honored 
him,  namely:  New  Jersey,  —  Kentucky  and  Dela- 
ware joining  with  her. 

The  real  triumph  to  Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  New 
York,  and  we  close  this  chapter  by  giving  it 
in  Mr.  Elaine's  own  words,  for  it  had  attracted 
his  special  attention.  Horatio  Seymour  and 
Reuben  E.  Fenton  were  respectively  the  Demo- 
cratic and  Republican  candidates  for  Governor 
of  New  York:  — 

"Governor  Seymour's  speech  in  the  Democratic 
convention  at  Chicago,  Aug.  29,  1864,  had  been 
an  indictment  of  the  most  malignant  type  against 
the  administration.  The  president  felt  that  he 
was  himself  wholly  wrong,  or  Governor  Seymour 
was  wholly  wrong,  and  the  people  of  New  York 
were  to  decide  which.  They  rendered  their  ver- 


ENTERING    CONGRESS. 


235 


diet  in  the  election  of  Reuben  E.  Fenton  to 
the  governorship  by  a  majority  of  thousands, 
over  Mr.  Seymour.  Without  that  result  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's triumph  would  have  been  incomplete. 
The  victory  in  the  nation,"  he  adds,  "was  the 
most  complete  ever  achieved  in  an  election  that 
was  seriously  contested." 


XL 


SECOND   TERM   IN   CONGRESS. 


]R.  ELAINE  reached  home  weary  in 
body,  but  fresh  in  spirit,  from  the 
great  political  war  in  Massachusetts, 
New  York,  and  Pennsylvania,  just  in 
time  to  cast  his  ballot  the  last  time  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  He  had  stumped  his  own  state 
from  "Kittery  to  Houlton,"  which  are  the  ex- 
treme points  in  Maine,  and  had  put  in  about 
fifty  speeches  in  the  other  states, — between  one 
and  two  hundred  in  all.  He  had  confidence  in 
the  result,  for  he  had  been  near  the  people  and 
got  their  temper  and  knew  the  purpose  of  their 
sovereign  will  in  the  matter,  and  so  it  came, 
but  with  it  the  reflection  that  they  were  only 
about  five  years  off  from  the  Dread  Scott  decis- 
ion, and  every  free  state  but  one  voting  solid 
in  the  electoral  college  for  the  great  abolition 
president,  Abraham  Lincoln. 

How  dark  and  infamous,  and  mysterious,  too, 
looked  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise ; 
the  war  with  Mexico ;  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS.  237 

bill;  the  proposition  to  purchase  Cuba  for  pur- 
poses of  slavery,  and  all  the  political  paltroonery 
and  truckling  of  honored  public  men,  the  trim- 
mers and  time-servers  ! 

But  what  ruin  strewed  the  pathway  to  such 
triumph  !  There  was  not  a  slave  in  all  the  land 
now,  according  to  the  proclamation,  emphatically 
endorsed,  and  the  rebellion  well-nigh  crushed. 
The  effort  had  been,  it  is  thought,  for  the  South 
to  hold  out  until  after  the  presidential  election, 
and  hope  for  the  defeat  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  The 
war  was  over  six  months  after  his  re-election. 

In  less  than  a  month  after  election  day,  Mr. 
Elaine  was  in  his  seat  in  congress  (December 
$th),  and  there,  also,  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
fact  that  not  only  had  Mr.  Lincoln  been  re- 
elected  president,  but  he  himself,  also,  had  been 
re-elected  to  congress,  for  the  election  took  place 
a  year  before  each  term  expired.  How  could  he 
be  otherwise  than  happy  regarding  the  political 
outlook  of  either  himself  or  the  nation.  He 
need  have  little  thought  for  himself;  he  had 
surely  caught  at  the  _  flood  that  tide  which  leads 
on  to  greatness.  He  was  not  a  coming  man, 
but  one  who  had  already  come.  His  record  of 
the  former  session  had  made  him  more  widely 
known,  and  known  in  a  larger  sense.  Indeed, 
he  was  every  way  a  larger  man ;  beloved  at 
home,  respected  and  admired  abroad  in  other 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


states,  and  where  his  great  life-work  had  so 
auspiciously  begun — in  congress. 

The  principle  of  evolution  was  at  work  upon 
him  in  its  only  true  sense,  just  as  it  operates 
in  tree  and  flower,  where  heaven  and  earth  in 
all  their  vital  forces  are  made  tributary  to  Na- 
ture's laws  of  unfolding  in  the  deep  processes 
of  growth  upward  to  perfection. 

There  had  been  a  wondrous  involution  from 
centuries  of  great  history,  according  to  subtle, 
silent  laws  of  hereditary  inheritance,  in  very 
blood  and  life,  of  tone,  and  quality,  and  temper, 
and  now  there  is  evolved,  evoked,  just  that  of 
power  which  tells  of  kinship  with  those  who 
have  gone  before. 

It  should  not  cause  surprise  that  Nature  keeps 
her  treasures,  or  that  the  right,  the  good,  the 
true,  live  to  confront  the  wrong,  the  false,  the 
bad,  with  just  those  elements  of  a  nobler  life 
that  no  power  can  resist. 

The   people   everywhere   were   singing, — 

"  Out    God  is  marching  on." 

And  so  he  was,  in  all  of  truth  and  right 
maintained,  in  all  of  good  performed. 

Never  were  the  good  and  true  remembered  in 
such  hosts  as  when  the  nation  struggled  with 
her  foes.  What  mighty  ones  stepped  out  of  the 
chaos  of  a  dismal  past  into  splendid  life  with 


SECOND    TERM  IN  CONGRESS.  239 

her !  Their  name  is  legion ;  grand  in  every 
sphere  of  greatness,  and  great  in  every  realm 
of  grandeur.  They  thought  out  the  nation  first ; 
fought  out  and  forged  it  in  battle-heat,  and 
hurled  it  like  a  thing  of  life,  upon  its  great 
career.  It  never  loses  its  power  to  go,  to  be, 
and  conquer,  bringing  ever  to  the  birth,  and 
upward  into  strong,  armed  life  those  whose  great 
abilities  are  her  own ;  her  own  for  defense ;  her 
own  for  war,  living  in  their  lives,  powerful  in 
their  strong  right  arms,  —  one  with  them  in 
destiny.  Among  that  number  now,  though  reck- 
oned with  a  multitude,  was  James  G.  Blaine. 

He  surveyed  the  field  for  but  a  single  day 
after  the  second  session  of  his  first  congress 
opened,  —  the  thirty-eighth, — and  then  undid  the 
mischief  of  another.  It  was  called  the  "Gold 
bill"  in  the  House,  and  had  simply  been  offered 
and  referred  to  the  committee  of  Ways  and 
Means,  by  a  Mr.  Stevens,  of  Pennsylvania. 

Its  substance  was,  that  a  dollar  note  issued 
by  the  Government,  declared  lawful  money  and 
legal  tender,  is  declared  of  equal  value  for  all 
purposes  as  gold  and  silver  coin  of  like  denom- 
inations. A  contract  made  payable  in  coin  may 
be  payable  in  legal  tender,  and  anyone  should 
be  imprisoned  who  received  a  greenback  for  less 
than  gold  coin  was  worth,  and  fined  as  well. 

Gold    went   up   in   Wall    Street    within    twenty- 


240  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

four  hours  after  the  bill  was  presented,  twelve 
per  cent.  Mr.  Elaine  saw  it  and  moved  a  recon- 
sideration of  it,  sections  two,  three,  five,  and  six 
being  the  objectional  features  of  the  bill.  His 
speech  in  support  of  his  motion  did  not  occupy 
ten  minutes.  The  author  of  the  bill,  Mr.  Ste- 
vens, said,  — 

"My  friend  from  Maine  (Mr.  Elaine)  has  an  in- 
tuitive way  of  getting  at  a  great  national  question, 
one  that  has  exercised  the  thoughts  of  states- 
men of  several  countries  for  many  years."  This 
in  opening;  and  in  closing  his  speech,  he  said, — 

"  How  the  gentleman  from  Maine,  by  his  in- 
tuitive knowledge  of  these  things  comes  to  un- 
derstand at  once  what  the  ablest  statesmen  of 
England  took  months  to  mature,  I  cannot  very 
well  understand.  It  is  a  happy  inspiration." 

Had  he  a  knowledge  of  his  long  years  of  study, 
that  it  was  then  twenty-five  years  since  he  fin- 
ished reciting  Plutarch,  and  but  little  less  than 
twenty  since  his  graduation,  had  he  a  knowledge 
of  the  strong,  determined  spirit  of  mastery  which 
characterized  him  in  all  his  work,  could  he  have 
read  over  at  that  moment  the  long  list  of  vol- 
umes over  which  he  had  poured,  had  he  known 
these  things,  he  would  not  have  felt  that  a 
genius  of  intuition  who  got  at  things  by  inspira- 
tion merely,  sat  before  him,  but  one  with  a 
genius  for  the  hardest  kind  of  a  student's  work, 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS.  24! 

with  intuitions  born  of  high  intelligence  and  in- 
spiration that  comes  from  conscious  strength.  No 
wonder  he  was  an  enigma,  a  man  beyond  his 
years  and  place,  yet  master  of  the  situation. 

Mr.  Stevens'  motion  to  table  the  motion  of 
Mr.  Elaine,  failed,  fifty-one  to  sixty-eight,  and 
then  the  motion  of  Mr.  Elaine  regarding  the  bill 
of  Mr.  Stevens,  carried,  seventy-three  to  fifty-two. 
It  is  interesting  to  notice,  that  though  the  gentle- 
man did  not  call  up  his  bill  for  a  solid  month, — 
not  until  after  the  holidays, — and  then  came  in 
with  an  elaborate  argument  showing  the  financial 
course  of  England  in  her  war  with  France  in 
1793,  and  then  in  her  war  finally  with  the  whole 
of  continental  Europe,  though  he  seemed  to  have 
made  a  careful  study  of  his  subject,  and  of 
England's  financial  policy,  he  closed  with  this 
sentence :  — 

"I  feel  that  England  never  had  so  absurd  a 
law  as  to  pay  one  part  of  her  war-debt  in  gold  and 
another  part  in  Bank  of  England  notes."  He 
said  "I  feel,"  he  did  not  know.  But  Mr.  Elaine 
knew,  and  so  he  asked  him  whether  the  bonds 
negotiated  by  England  upon  the  continent  were 
not  payable  in  gold. 

"  I    do    not    know,"    was   the   answer. 

Then  Mr.  Elaine  stated,  "Every  one  of  them 
negotiated  upon  the  continent  was  payable  in 
gold,  both  principal  and  interest.  Every  one  ne- 


242 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


gotiated  at  the  Hague,  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main, 
and  elsewhere  upon  the  continent,  was  negoti- 
ated upon  the  gold  basis  exclusively." 

This  was  no  contest  to  win,  but  simply  to 
bring  out  financial  intelligence  in  a  semi-official 
way,  for  the  benefit  of  the  country.  It  was  a 
most  sensitive  subject.  Gold  was  up  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty,  that  is,  a  hundred  dollars  in 
gold  cost  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  green- 
backs, and  Mr.  Stevens  had  endeavored  in  a 
wrong  way,  as  Mr.  Brooks  showed,  to  correct 
gambling  in  gold,  but  Mr.  Blaine  could  furnish 
him  with  deficiencies  of  knowledge,  and  manifest 
the  acumen  of  a  statesman  upon  a  subject  so 
great. 

Mr.  Blaine  had  his  magnetic  power  then,  and 
Mr.  Stevens  refers  to  it,  and  his  great  power 
over  the  House  in  securing  so  promptly  the 
passage  of  his  motion.  He  said, 

"The  House,  partaking  of  the  magnetic  man- 
ner of  my  friend  from  Maine,  became  alarmed, 
and  immediately  laid  the  bill  on  the  table." 

It  was  his  power  of  quick,  thrilling  action;  of 
feeling  strongly,  and  making  others  feel  as  he 
did ;  of  casting  upon  them  the  glow  of  his  own 
brilliancy;  of  charming  them  with  the  rhapsody 
of  his  own  genius ;  of  piercing  them  with  the 
energy  of  his  own  thinking,  and  so  shutting 
them  up  to  his  conclusions  by  the  force  of  his 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS.  243 

own  arguments ;  it  was  thus  by  methods  the 
fairest  and  most  honorable  to  his  abilities,  that 
he  carried  all  before  him.  And  one  can  but  see 
in  his  repeated  control  of  the  House,  the  power 
of  his  friendships. 

Cox,  Pendleton,  Brooks,  and  others  of  the  op- 
position would  show  him  the  greatest  courtesies 
in  debate.  Randall,  even,  in  his  first  session, 
gave  him  time  out  of  his  own  hour  for  an  en- 
tire speech,  and  Cox  encouraged  him  in  the 
midst  of  his  Gold  bill  speech,  by  saying  he  was 
with  him  on  it. 

When  the  Naval  Academy  bill  was  before  the 
House,  he  moved  to  repeal  a  section  relating  to 
cadets  "found  deficient."  If  they  had  a  hundred 
demerit  marks  in  six  months  they  would  be  ex- 
pelled. Mr.  Elaine  had  visited  the  academy  in 
1861,  as  a  member  of  the  "Board  of  Visitors," 
and  while  there  a  young  man  was  dismissed,  not 
for  any  fault  of  scholarship,  for  he  was  among 
the  brightest  and  best  in  his  class. 

Becoming  deeply  interested  in  the  cause  of  the 
young  man,  he  went  to  Washington  and  success- 
fully interceded  with  the  secretary  of  war,  and 
he  was  restored.  He  subsequently  graduated 
very  high  in  class-rank,  and  since  his  entrance 
upon  active  service  has  distinguished  himself  as 
an  officer  of  great  merit,  serving  with  efficiency 
and  distinction  as  ordnance-officer  on  General 


244  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

Sheridan's    staff   in   that   splendid,    victorious    cam- 
paign  in   the   valley   of   the    Shenandoah. 

The  demerits  were  given  for  singularly  small 
offences,  as :  "  floor  out  of  order  near  wash-stand, 
four  demerits,"  etc.,  etc. 

Mr.  Elaine  insisted  that  to  the  secretary  of 
war  and  the  president  be  restored  the  power 
that  was  taken  from  them  at  the  last  session, 
—  to  pardon  any  cadet  discharged  for  any  of 
these  offences. 

General  Schenck  joined  him,  and  the  amend- 
ment was  adopted. 

There  is  a  little  section  of  his  speech  on  the 
Military  Academy  bill  which  shows  his  admira- 
tion for  the  telling  power  of  manhood,  and  his 
utter  scorn  of  sacrificing  great  ability,  for  which 
the  nation  was  so  loudly  calling  then,  to  little, 
simple  things,  good  in  themselves,  but  not  of 
first  importance,  that  we  cannot  forbear  to  give 
it.  Here  it  is,  verbatim,  as  he  delivered  it  in 
congress :  — 

"Many  of  the  cadets,  sir,  who  have  been  very 
precise  and  decorous  in  their  conduct  in  matters 
of  petty  discipline  at  the  academy,  and  manage 
to  pass  through  smoothly,  often  graduating  with 
high  rank  obtained  by  very  strict  attention  to 
'folding  beds  by  10  A.  M.,'  and  'drawing  curtains 
by  at  precisely  6.45  A.  M.'  (academy  rules),  are 
unfortunately  never  heard  from  afterwards.  Their 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS.  24$ 

names  do  not  always  figure  in  the  record  of  our 
bloody  battles,  and  they  have  achieved  no  dis- 
tinction in  this  war,  with  all  its  thousand  oppor- 
tunities, while  on  the  other  hand  not  a  few  of 
the  graduates  at  the  academy  who  at  the  Point 
had  the  'odor  of  tobacco  in  their  rooms,'  and 
whose  'floors  were  out  of  order  near  the  wash- 
stand/  have  blazoned  their  names  high  on  the 
roll  of  fame  for  conduct  as  gallant  and  skill  as 
great  as  ever  graced  the  battle-fields  of  any  age 
:ountry." 

Efficiency  has  ever  been  the  test  with  him  in 
lis  own  work,  and  this  he  applies  to  others ; 
one  has  said,  "We  measure  others  in  our 
)wn  half-bushel ;  of  course  we  do,  we  have  no 
liber." 

Early  in  the  session  he  had  a  running  debate 
rhich  tried  his  metal,  with  Thayer,  of  Pcnnsyl- 

inia ;    Justin    S.    Morrill,  of  Vermont ;    James    S. 

filson,  of  Iowa;  General  Schenck,  of  Ohio,  and 
5.  S.  Cox,  of  Ohio  yielding  the  floor  for  the 
)urpose. 

It  was  not  only  a  proof  of  his  knowledge,  but 
Iso  of  his  ability  to  use  it  on  demand,  and  he 
showed  himself  equal  to  the  exigency,  and 
showed  that  he  was  generally  found  away  on 
the  lead  in  his  discussion  of  constitutional 
measures  and  application  of  principles. 

It    is    possible    for    a    man    to    go    over,   in   a 


246  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

long-winded  speech,  a  vast  amount  of  ground, 
which  has  been  tramped  as  bare  as  the  camp- 
ground of  a  brigade  of  soldiers,  by  a  multitude 
of  debaters ;  ground  which  has  been  surveyed, 
and  staked  out,  and  pre-empted,  and  owned  for 
a  century  or  more,  and  concerning  which,  as 
concerning  the  constitution  there  is  no  question. 
Such  speeches  as  these  wearied  the  progressive 
spirit  of  advanced  ones,  and  made  them  restless 
when  the  fate  of  great  interests  hung  on  the 
decision  of  a  few  hours'  discussion.  No  one 
watched  more  closely  the  uttterances  of  men 
upon  the  floor,  or  held  them  to  a  stricter  ac- 
count. 

In  presenting  a  minority  report  on  amendment 
of  rules  for  the  government  of  the  House,  Mr. 
Morrill  had  placed  some  undue  restriction  upon 
the  powers  of  congress,  and  courteously  waiting 
until  he  had  finished  a  long  speech  of  ten  or 
eleven  columns,  Mr.  Elaine  asked  him  whether 
the  power  of  impeachment  would  not  extend  to 
cabinet  officers,  and  so  their  attendance  upon  the 
sittings  of  the  House  be  compelled,  a  point  Mr. 
Morrill  had  denied. 

There  had  been  little  demand  for  this  power 
slumbering  in  the  constitution, —  power  which  was 
used  upon  a  president  shortly  afterward,  —  but 
brought  prominently  to  the  attention  of  the 
House,  and  much  light  thrown  on  it  by  the 


SECOND    TERM  iN   CONGRESS.  247 

answers  tersely  given  to  near  a  score  of  ques- 
tions, members  were  pleased  to  ask  Mr.  Elaine, 
and  while  he  was  ready  with  abundant  answers ; 
clear  and  strong,  and  packed  with  knowledge  of 
the  highest  legal  type,  he  was  ready  as  well  if 
there  was  hint  of  an  assailant  in  manner  or 
tone,  to  thrust  out  a  sharp,  rising  question  which 
would  almost  take  the  breath  of  the  man  who 
might  be  after  hin.  When  General  Schenck  asked 
him  if  the  secretary  of  war  was  a  civil  officer, 
his  quick  reply  was,  "  I  do  not  think  that  a 
'civil'  question."  Neither  was  it,  for  as  mem- 
ber of  the  cabinet  of  course  he  was  a  civil  offi- 
cer, as  much  so  as  the  president  himself,  who 
was  by  virtue  of  his  office  "  Commander-in-chief 
of  the  armies  of  the  Union." 

But  Mr.  Elaine  had  great  respect  for  age  and 
learning,  and  allowed  no  opportunity  to  show  it 
to  pass  by  unimproved.  His  early  intercourse 
with  his  Grandfather  Gillespie  had  developed 
largely  veneration  both  for  gray  hairs  and 
scholarly  attainments,  a  veneration  which  had 
matured  by  associations  with  his  teachers  and 
great  men  of  the  nation  whom  he  had  met  in 
his  youthful  days,  and  those  whom  he  had  since 
come  to  know  and  honor. 

When  Mr.  Henry  Winter  Davis  came  on  with 
his  great  naval  speech,  Mr.  Elaine  heard  him 
with  special  pleasure,  and  had  some  very  compli- 


248  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

mentary  things  to  say  of  "  the  caustic,  scathing, 
truthful,  and  deserved  criticism  of  the  naval  de- 
partment in  building,"  as  Mr.  Elaine  said, 
"twenty  iron-clad  vessels,  at  a  cost  of  ten  mil- 
lions of  dollars,  that  will  not  stay  on  top  of 
water." 

Mr.  Pike  had  just  taken  him  to  task  for  this 
last  statement,  when  the  "hammer  fell,"  and  Mr. 
Davis,  showing  his  appreciation  of  the  courtesies 
of  Mr.  Elaine,  arose  and  said,  "I  ask  unanimous 
consent  that  the  gentleman  from  Maine  may  be 
permitted  to  proceed."  This  was  indeed  a  con- 
sideration which  young  members  seldom  received 
from  the  veterans  of  the  House,  and  especially 
from  one  with  a  national  reputation  for  scholarly 
attainments.  But  as  "the  debate  in  Committee 
of  the  Whole  was  closed  by  order  of  the  House," 
the  Chair  could  not  grant  the  request,  and  just 
here  Mr.  Elaine's  shrewdness  and  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  parliamentary  rules  showed  itself.  "  I 
move,"  he  said,  "to  amend  the  amendment,  by 
striking  out  the  first  line ;  that  will  entitle  me 
to  the  floor  for  a  few  minutes  longer." 

Then  he  went  on  to  give  an  official  fact,  as 
he  called  it,  and  he  knew  well  the  value  of  such 
things ;  there  was  nothing  "  fine-spun "  about 
them,  but  strong  and  stubborn,  and  full  of  power 
to  convince.  "  Out  of  ninety  British  steamers," 
he  said,  "caught  within  a  given  period  in  at- 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS.  249 

tempting  to  run  the  blockade,  only  twelve  were 
caught  by  vessels  built  by  the  present  adminis- 
tration of  the  navy  department ;  while  seventy- 
eight  were  caught  either  by  purchased  vessels, 
or  vessels  inherited  from  the  old  navy.  I  sub- 
mit, sir,  that  this  fact  bears  with  crushing  force 
on  the  practical  question  of.  the  speed  and  effi- 
ciency of  vessels  of  the  new  navy."  It  is  bad 
enough  to  swindle  the  government  at  any  time, 
and  in  any  thing,  but  in  times  of  war  to  swindle 
her  in  the  construction  of  iron-clad  vessels 
that  will  not  float,  yet  needed  at  once  for  active 
service,  and  produce  twenty  of  them  at  half  a 
million  dollars  apiece,  was  enough  to  arouse  the 
indignation  not  only  of  the  older  member,  Mr. 
Davis,  but  also  of  the  younger  man,  Mr.  Elaine. 

And  this  now  gave  him  a  new,  fresh  start, 
untrameled  by  crutch  or  cane,  casting  him  wholly 
upon  his  own  resources,  and  placing  him  where 
he  must  put  forth  all  the  power  in  him,  or  ut- 
terly fail. 

"When  the  Jeannette  went  down,  crushed  and 
sunken  by  the  ice,"  writes  Lieutenant  Danen- 
houser,  "we  started  with  our  boats  southward, 
dragging  them  over  the  ice,  broken  and  piled  in 
every  conceivable  shape.  We  accomplished  seven 
miles  the  first  week,  only  to  find,  by  taking 
observations,  that  the  ice-floe  had  drifted  us 
back  to  the  northward  twenty-seven  miles,  and 


25O  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

so  placing  us  twenty  miles  to  the  rear  of  the 
spot  where  we  had  started,  and  our  ship  had 
sunk."  They  had  intrepid  spirits,  but  no  firm 
ground;  he  had  both  the  intrepid  spirit  and  the 
firm  ground  on  which  to  stand,  and  his  victory 
was  swift  and  certain. 

Mr.  Elaine  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  do  a 
favor,  or  make  a  friend.  Doing  duty  was  his 
delight;  getting  hold  of  strong,  plain,  practical 
facts,  and  presenting  them  in  a  way  that  showed 
a  constant,  abiding  interest  in  his  constituency,  that 
he  was  living  and  toiling  for  them,  and  had 
their  best  interest,  and  those  of  the  entire  state 
of  Maine,  and  the  whole  country  at  heart. 

Here  is  one  of  his  plain,  practical  statements, 
showing  his  loyalty  to  home  interests,  as  well 
as  the  business  interests  of  the  country.  A  ves- 
sel from  his  district  had  been  chartered  to  govern- 
ment to  carry  a  'cargo  of  four  hundred  and  fifty 
tons  of  coal  from  Philadelphia  to  New  Orleans, 
for  six  thousand  dollars.  Upon  her  return  her 
disbursements  had  been  six  thousand,  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-eight  dollars  and  five  cents. 
She  received  six  thousand  dollars  in  certificates 
of  indebtedness  from  the  government,  then  sell- 
ing them  at  ninety-four,  which  made  but  five 
thousand  six  hundred  and  forty  dollars  in  cash, 
showing  a  net  cash  loss  of  five  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  dollars  and  five  cents,  besides  the 


SECOND    TERM   IN   CONGRESS.  2$  I 

interest  on  advance,  about  two  hundred  dollars 
more. 

"And  now,  sir,  said  Mr.  Elaine,  after  this 
melancholy  experience  the  tax-collector  came  for- 
ward and  demanded  of  the  owner  of  the  vessel, 
two  and  one-half  per  cent,  on  the  six  thousand 
dollars  which  the  government  paid,  as  above, 
and  on  top  of  all  losses  already  incurred  actually 
compelled  him  to  pay  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  under  that  section  of  the  internal  reve- 
nue law,  which  we  are  seeking  to  amend. 

"A  man's  profit  in  business,"  he  goes  on  to 
say,  "affords  a  fair  basis  of  taxation,  but  it  is 
a  cruel  mockery  of  one's  misfortune  to  assess  a 
tax  upon  losses." 

He  further  plead  that  "as  commercial  men  of 
the  country,  who  do  so  much  to  sustain  our 
finances  and  our  honor,  they  should  be  relieved 
from  its  oppressive  exactions." 

There  were  no  mists  or  fogs  about  him  to 
conceal  him  or  his  methods,  and  what  he  said 
stood  out  in  the  clear  light  of  day.  In  this 
case  he  was  able  to  catch  up  from  memory,  a 
better  argument  for  the  repeal  of  the  oppressive 
section  of  the  law  than  had  come  to  the  House 
in  a  lengthy  written  memorial  from  a  company 
doing  business  on  the  Schuylkill  Canal  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  who  could  make  sitings  net  them 
four  hundred  and  ten  dollars,  while  in  the  case 


252  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

cited  by  Mr.  Elaine,  one  trip  was  made  at  a 
loss  of  nine  hundred  and  forty-eight  dollars  and 
five  cents. 

Seldom  did  he  cite  his  own  opinion.  It  was 
the  bludgeon  of  hard,  solid  facts  with  which  he 
did  ,his  best  execution.  Others  might  theorize, 
and  imagine,  and  conceive,  and  spin  web  after 
web  of  sophistry,  like  the  spider,  out  of  them- 
selves, to  be  full  as  flimsy  when  the  storm  of 
debate  beat  upon  it,  but  not  he.  He  evidently 
kept  up  a  living  acquaintance  with  those  to 
whom  he  was  responsible,  and  this,  with  an 
ever  vigilant  correspondence,  enabled  him  to 
know,  and  not  simply  think  and  feel,  but  actu- 
ally to  know  their  adverse  experiences  where 
the  operations  of  the  machinery  of  government 
affected  them,  and  with  reasonable  and  apparent 
facts  in  hand  he  could  easily  procure  the  remedy. 
This  lively  interest,  so  practical  and  so  potent 
as  well,  was  with  him  a  constant  element  of 
power. 

He  lost  no  opportunity  to  familiarize  himself 
with  business  enterprises,  great  and  small,  and 
get  the  best  authority  on  all  questions  of  finance 
and  trade,  and  as  a  result  he  could  speak  with 
pertinency,  and  from  a  mind  prolific  of  the  fresh- 
est data  on  the  practical  questions  as  they  were 
constantly  coming  before  the  House,  and  espec- 
ially in  the  old  war-days,  when  the  vexed  ques- 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS.  253 

tions  of  internal  revenue,  with  all  its  myriad 
details  regarding  the  nature  and  value  of  taxable 
articles,  were  being  adjusted. 

At  one  time  when  he  first  entered  congress, 
nearly  every  article  that  entered  into  the  con- 
struction of  a  ship  was  taxed,  and  then  upon 
her  tonnage,  and  then,  beside,  upon  the  gross 
receipts  for  carrying  the  cargo.  He  saw  to  it 
at  once  that  those  matters  were  attended  to. 

But  a  fresh  call  was  out  for  troops,  and  it 
was  a  final  call.  They  were  getting  ready  for 
the  great  opening  of  the  spring  campaign  which  , 
was  to  speedily  end  in  crushing  the  Rebellion, 
and  annihilating  the  Confederacy.  There  was  a 
flaw  in  the  enrollment  law  passed  the  last  ses- 
sion, which  Mr.  Elaine  had  discovered,  and 
sought  to  remedy.  It  permitted  recruiting  in 
the  rebel  states,  and  credits  for  previous  naval 
enlistments.  "From  these  two  sources  have 
arisen  the  gigantic  and  wide-spread  evil  of  filling 
quotas  of  towns  without  adding  troops  to  the 
army."  He  had  offered  an  amendment  which  was 
designed  to  bring  back  recruiting  to  "  an  hon- 
est, meritorious,  and  patriotic  effort  to  fill  the 
ranks  of  our  gallant  army  with  men,  and  not 
with  shadowy  fictions  which  pass  under  the 
name  of  'paper  credits.'"  The  quotas  of  entire 
cities,  districts,  and  possibly  states,  had  been 
thus  filled  "without  adding:  a  single  man  or  musket 


254  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

to  the  effective  military  force  of  the  nation. 
There  was  fraud,  and  he  would  so  change  the 
law  that  it  could  not  be  perpetuated." 

There  were  substitute-brokers,  who,  in  some 
mysterious  way,  would  get  hold  of  these  "cred- 
its," as  they  were  called,  and  sell  them,  much 
as  torn  scrip  is  sold. 

"We  can  deal  just  by  the  government,"  he 
said,  "in  its  struggle  for  existence.  It  calls  for 
men,  and  it  is  worse  than  madness  to  answer 
this  call  with  anything  else  than  men. 

"In  conclusion,"  and  his  words  reveal  a  genu- 
ine patriotism  and  zeal  of  affection  for  the  sol- 
dier, "nothing  so  discourages  the  brave  men  at 
the  front  as  the  belief  that  proper  measures  are 
not  adopted  at  home  for  re-enforcing  and  sus- 
taining them. 

"After  four  years  of  such  patriotic  and  heroic 
effort  for  national  unity  as  the  world  has  never 
\vitnessed  before,  we  cannot  now  afford  to  have 
the  great  cause  injured,  or  its  fair  fame  dark- 
ened by  a  single  unworthy  incident  connected 
with  it.  The  improper  practices  of  individuals 
cannot  disgrace  and  degrade  the  nation,  but 
after  these  practices  are  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  congress,  we  shall  assuredly  be  disgraced 
and  degraded  if  we  fail  to  apply  the  remedy. 
Let  us,  then,  in  this  hour  of  the  national  need, 
do  our  duty  here,  our  duty  to  the  troops  in  the 


SECOND    TERM   IN   CONGRESS.  255 

field,  our  duty  to  our  constituents  at  home,  and 
our  country ;  -above  all,  to  our  country,  whose 
existence  has  been  in  such  peril  in  the  past, 
but  whose  future  of  greatness  and  glory  seems 
now  so  assured,  and  so  radiant." 

Few  utterances  of  those  long,  dark  years, 
breathed  a  spirit  of  more  devoted  loyalty  than 
is  found  even  in  these  few  sentences,  and  they 
were  uttered  when  they  would  do  the  most 
good,  and  secure  just  those  re-enforcements  that 
would  gladden  the  hearts  of  veterans,  and  hasten 
the  end  of  the  struggle. 

Mr.  Elaine  had  a  keen  eye  for  fraud,  and 
made  it  his  business  to  detect  it ;  and  he  was 
just  fearless  enough  to  hold  it  up  to  the  light 
of  day.  Wherever  he  unearthed  it  he  would 
point  out  the  individual,  and  point  his  finger  at 
him  and  say,  with  a  boldness  known  only  to 
invective  and  scorn,  "  Thou  art  the  man  ! " 

He  never  seemed  to  take  care  of  his  popu- 
larity, but  of  his  constituents  and  of  his  coun- 
try. Enemies  abounded,  and  evil,  and  wrong ; 
and  to  these  he  paid  effective  attention,  rightly 
judging  that  no  course  is  safer,  or  accords  with 
fuller  satisfaction,  than  the  right  course.  With 
him,  character  was  the  citadel  of  strength  and 
influence  ;  and  so  we  find  him  knowing  and 
trusting  himself,  reaching  for  wrong  in  all  of 
its  strongholds. 


256 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC, 


And  there  was  much  to  encourage  now. 
Sherman  had  reached  the  sea ;  Columbia,  S.  C, 
was  captured ;  Charleston  was  evacuated ;  the 
old  flag  was  again  flying  over  Fort  Sum- 
ter,  and  Washington's  Birthday  was  to  be  cele- 
brated, by  order  of  the  secretary  of  war,  E.  M. 
Stanton,  by  a  "  national  salute  at  West  Point, 
and  at  every  fort,  arsenal,  and  army  head-quar- 
ters of  the  United  States,  in  honor  of  the 
event."  This  twenty-second  day  of  February  was 
a  long,  busy  day  in  congress.  It  was  a  quarter 
past  five  before  the  House  adjourned.  Mr. 
Blaine  was  in  his  seat  all  day  long,  voting 
steadily  for  the  right  and  against  the  wrong. 
The  conquered  states,  cut  off  from  the  Rebellion 
and  rescued  to  liberty  and  lawful  authority,  were 
left  without  government,  and  must  be  provided, 
as  Tennessee  had  been  in  the  person  of  An- 
drew Johnson,  now  vice-president,  with  provisional 
governors.  Much  legislation  was  requisite.  Every 
man  in  congress  who  had  ever  had  any  pro- 
slavery  proclivities,  was  in  his  place  contesting 
every  step  of  progress  with  men  who  had  never 
breathed  aught  but  the  air  of  freedom  and 
known  only  loyal  heart-beats. 

One  bill  granted  citizenship  to  all  colored  men 
who  had  served  in  the  army  and  navy. 

Right  royal  work,  this,  for  such  a  man 
to  be  doing  on  a  day  so  sacred ;  helping 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS. 


into  citizenship  the  colored  man,  ever  loyal, 
ever  true. 

This  seemed  to  be  the  great  feature  of  all 
the  great  bills  before  the  House  that  day.  It 
came  up  in  the  bill  to  encourage  enlistments, 
and  the  worth  and  dignity  of  being  an  Amer- 
ican citizen  was  held  up  before  the  negro  as  a 
prize  for  him  to  win  ;  as  something  in  store  for 
him  in  the  future;  and  so  as  giving  to  the 
colored  troops,  and  all  who  united  with  them, 
this  personal  interest  in  relation  to  the  govern- 
ment. But  it  takes  time  to  get  such  thoughts 
adjusted  to  minds  struggling  with  the  fact  of 
Emancipation,  and  so  little  is  done  but  give  the 
bills  a  hearing  and  pass  them  to  another  read- 
ing. Coming  events  had  cast  their  shadows  be- 
fore them.  It  was,  however,  but  the  shadow  of 
a  passing  cloud,  and  told  of  a  great,  bright  sun 
shining  in  the  heavens  yonder,  which  would  soon 
dissipate  all  clouds  and  shadows,  and  the  long 
night  of  bondage  ended,  give  a  glorious  day,  in 
which  the  world  might  see  in  the  poorest  black 
man  of  the  South  an  American  citizen,  possessed 
of  certain  inalienable  rights,  among  which  are 
life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 

To  the  happy  consummation  of  a  task  so 
grand,  whose  inspiration  comes  from  that  free 
and  holy  place  where  "all  are  one,"  Mr.  Elaine 
had  set  his  hand,  only  to  remove  it  when  the 


258 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


chaplet  of  America's  proudest,  noblest  glory  was 
on  the  black  man's  brow. 

That  life  is  most  divine  which  is  most  in 
line  with  Providence,  and  has  the  most  of  up- 
lifting power  in  it,  which  stands  the  highest  up, 
and  can  reach  the  farthest  down,  is  many- 
handed  in  its  helpfulness,  and  strong-handed  as 
well,  to  unshackle  humanity  in  body,  in  soul,  and 
in  spirit,  and  tell  the  fallen  or  sunken  ones  how 
to  get  upward  toward  God  and  heaven. 

Opening  the  gates  of  heaven  means  unlocking 
the  gates  of  earth,  and  to  this  latter  task  the 
statesmen  of  the  nation  stood  pledged  from 
that  day,  since  numbered  among  the  nation's 
holidays.  A  close  student  of  Mr.  Elaine's  con- 
gressional career  will  be  impressed  with  the  fact 
that  it  seems  planned  and  determined  before- 
hand. There  are  no  surprises  in  it.  He  seems 
to  have  determined  upon  his  course  before  en- 
tering it,  and  gives  his  strength  to  certain  meas- 
ures, and  does  not  fritter  it  away  upon  every 
resolve,  or  amendment,  or  motion,  that  happens 
to  be  before  the  House,  affecting  some  far  away 
interest  of  a  day-dreamer. 

He  recognizes  the  fact  fully  that  he  is  one  of 
a  great  body  of  men,  each  one  of  whom  is 
charged  with  interests  ^  of  an  important  charac- 
ter to  their  state  or  district,  and  many  heavily 
weighted  with  special  and  peculiar  measures  of 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS.  259 

national  importance.  These  must  all  have  their 
opportunity.  Less  than  ninety  working-days  usu- 
ally comprise  the  session,  and  there  are  but 
four  of  these  in  a  congress,  —  from  March  to  ad- 
journment, and  from  December  to  March,  and 
then  repeated,  constitutes  a  congressional  term, 
with  eight  of  them  in  a  presidential  term,  or 
two  a  year  for  the  four  years.  Beside,  it  takes 
so  long  a  time  to  get  measures  through  congress 
that  the  successful  man  finds  it  necessary  to  de- 
vote himself  with  great  carefulness  to  the  few 
measures  of  importance  he  would  have  adopted, 
and  become  law  organic  or  otherwise. 

Very  soon  after  Mr.  Elaine  entered  congress 
he  presented  a  resolution  instructing  the  Com- 
mittee on  Judiciary  to  inquire  into  the  expedi- 
ency of  amending  the  constitution  so  as  to  allow 
congress  to  levy  an  export  tax.  But  the  session 
closed,  and  it  is  not  reported,  and  now  his  sec- 
ond session  is  closing,  and  still  it  is  not  forth- 
coming. Why  not  ?  He  will  know  the  reason 
why !  And  so  there  comes  a  day  near  the  ses- 
sion's close,  only  the  day  before  Mr.  Lincoln's 
second  inauguration,  when  he  arises  and  states 
"a  little  grievance."  He  states  the  resolution, 
its  being  offered  at  the  last  session,  and  now 
again  at  the  present  session.  It  had  been  to  the 
Ways  and  Means  Committee,  to  which  it  had 
been  transferred.  Evidently  he  had  been  ready 


260 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


to  grapple  with  the  subject  for  some  time,  and 
proceeded  to  do  so.  It  involved  an  amendment 
to  the  constitution,  and  one  "essential  to  the 
financial  success  of  the  government,  and  to  the 
agricultural,  commercial,  and  manufacturing  pros- 
perity of  the  country  in  all  future  time." 

It  was  stated  that  the  measure  would  have 
been  presented  by  the  committee,  if  they  had 
supposed  time  would  have  permitted  of  its  con- 
sideration. It  presented  a  subject  that  was  dis- 
cussed at  length  in  the  Convention  of  1787. 
The  "  Madison  Papers "  give  a  synopsis  of  the 
constitutional  debates  of  that  convention,  and 
show  that  many  of  the  strongest  men  of  that 
body,  the  really  far-sighted  ones,  opposed  the 
insertion  of  the  clause  prohibiting  a  tax  on  ex- 
ports. The  vote  was  not  a  very  decisive  one, 
nor  did  its  advocacy  come  from  the  Southern 
or  "staple  states,"  and  opposition  from  Northern 
states. 

He  proceeds  to  deliver  what  is  his  great 
speech,  if  not  the  great  speech  of  the  session. 
It  was  probably  not  over  an  hour  long,  but  he 
had  not  proceeded  far  before  it  became  apparent 
that  he  had  throughly  studied  the  subject,  and 
was  investing  it  with  a  new  interest. 

A  great  debt  of  more  than  two  billion  eight 
hundred  million  was  on  the  nation.  Mr.  Elaine's 
amendment  was  looking  towards  its  liquidation. 


SECOND    TERM  IN   CONGRESS.  26 1 

It  was  the  wise,  strong  look  far  ahead.  He  saw 
in  it  several  hundred  millions  of  revenue  in  the 
export  of  cotton,  tobacco,  and  naval  stores,  with- 
out affecting  the  demand  for  them,  and  also  in 
petroleum,  and  numberless  articles,  still  more  of 
revenue.  France  was  taxing  her  wines  and  bran- 
dies, and  countries  having  peculiar  commodities 
taxed  them. 

Cotton  which  sold  in  Liverpool  at  eleven  and 
three-quarters  pence  per  pound  in  December, 
1861,  sold  for  twenty-four  and  one-half  pence 
per  pound  in  just  one  year  from  that  date. 
The  three  million  two  hundred  thousand  bales 
of  five  hundred  pounds  each,  this  country  had 
exported,  were  missed  there. 

"  Whoever  as  secretary  of  the  treasury  shall 
undertake  and  succeed  in  paying  the  debt,"  he 
argues  in  closing,  "must  have  open  to  him  the 
three  great  avenues  of  taxation,  namely,  the 
tariff,  the  excise  system,  and  the  duties  on  ex- 
ports, and  must  be  empowered  to  use  each  in  its 
appropriate  place,  by  congressional  legislation." 

And  so  he  closed  the  first  half  of  his  second 
congressional  year,  with  'the  same  policy  of  ques- 
tions with  which  he  began,  aiming  still  at  thor- 
oughness and  mastery,  still  the  guiding  stars  of 
his  history,  the  moulding  powers  and  the  prom- 
inent features  of  his  great  career. 


XII. 


CONTINUED  WORK  IN   CONGRESS. 

JT  is  Inauguration  Day  in  Washington. 
Not,  McClellan, — he  is  in  Europe, — but 
Lincoln  is  to  be  inaugurated.  It  is  a 
j  day  of  wondrous  glory  to  him,  and  to 
the  nation,  but  one  so  oppressed  with  the  cares 
of  state  has  but  little  joy  in  it.  There  is  no 
retiring  president  to  sign  all  the  tardy  bills  of 
an  expiring  congress.  He  must  do  it  all,  and 
then  go  from  the  realizations  of  the  past  to  the 
unknown  of  the  new.  There  was  no  instant  of 
rest  for  him  between  laying  off  the  armor  and 
putting  it  on  anew. 

Of  all  the  many  thousand  eyes  that  looked 
on  him  that  day,  none  were  more  brilliant  with 
the  look  of  praise,  none  gleamed  with  a  soul- 
light  more  fervent,  none  took  in  the  scene  with 
deeper  thoughts  of  the  hour  or  the  future,  op- 
pressive with  interest,  than  Mr.  Elaine. 

Little  did  he  dream  of  twenty  years  to  come. 
He  had  thought  to  scale  the  centuries  as  they 
stood  like  silent  statues  in  the  sombre,  shadowy 


CONTINUED    WORK  IN   CONGRESS.  263 

past,  and  read  out  the  hieroglyphics  of  their 
history.  But  just  as  the  rebellion  was  broken, 
shattered,  staggering  to  its  fall,  and  seemed 
certain,  and  was  scarce  hung  about  with  doubt, 
so  now  to  faith  the  future  is  bright  and  clear, 
while  hope  is  strong  and  almost  gay  with  vivid 
anticipations. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  profoundly  impressed  with  the 
religious  character  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  as  exem- 
plified in  the  tone  of  his  public  documents. 

He  says  :  "  Throughout  the  whole  period  of  the 
war  he  constantly  directed  the  attention  of  the 
nation  to  dependence  on  God.  It  may  indeed 
be  doubted  whether  he  omitted  this  in  a  single 
state  paper.  In  every  message  to  congress,  in 
every  proclamation  to  the  people,  he  made  it 
prominent.  In  July,  1863,  after  the  battle  of 
Gettysburgh,  he  called  upon  the  people  to  give 
thanks  because  'it  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to 
hearken  to  the  supplications  and  prayers  of  an 
afflicted  people,  and  to  vouchsafe  signal  and  ef- 
fective victories  to  the  army  and  navy  of  the 
United  States,'  and  he  asked  the  people  'to  ren- 
der homage  to  the  Divine  Majesty  and  to  invoke 
the  influence  of  His  Holy  Spirit  to  subdue  the 
anger  which  has  produced  and  so  long  sustained 
a  needless  and  cruel  rebellion.'  ' 

"On  another  occasion,"  writes  Mr.  Elaine  "re- 
counting the  blessings  which  had  come  to  the 


264  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

Union,  he  said  :  '  No  human  counsel  hath  devised, 
nor  hath  any  mortal  hand  worked  out  these 
great  things.  They  are  the  gracious  gifts  of  the 
Most  High  God,  who,  while  dealing  with  us  in 
anger  for  our  sins,  hath  nevertheless  remembered 
mercy.'  Throughout  his  entire  official  career,  at- 
tended at  all  times  with  exacting  duty  and  pain- 
ful responsibility,  he  never  forgot  his  own  de- 
pendence unto  the  same  authority,  or  the  depend- 
ence of  the  people  upon  a  Higher  Power."  And 
then  he  quotes  those  words  of  the  great  man, 
uttered  reverently  to  the  people  assembled  in 
crowds  to  congratulate  him  upon  the  return  of 
peace:  "In  the  midst  of  your  joyous  expressions, 
He  from  whom  all  blessings  flow  must  first  be 
remembered." 

His  last  inaugural,  delivered  but  a  little  while 
before  this  final  utterance,  was  in  keeping  with  it. 
It  was  a  deeply  religious  document,  referring  to 
no  political  measure  or  material  interest,  and  in 
six  days  after  the  people  crowd  about  him,  full 
of  joy  at  the  close  of  the  war,  the  bullet  of 
the  assassin  is  in  his  brain !  What  a  week 
was  that  in  which  the  war  closed,  and  the 
great  Lincoln  was  murdered !  And  what  a  sum- 
mer was  that,  when  the  broken  armies  came 
marching  home,  halting  in  Washington  for  the 
great  review ! 

But  a  campaign  is  on  Mr.  Elaine,  and   he  hur- 


CONTINUED    WORK  IN   CONGRESS.  26$ 

ries  home.  For  the  third  time  Samuel  Coney  is 
elected  governor,  and  Mr.  Elaine  has  again  done 
his  work  well.  Autumn  passes,  and  he  is  in  his 
place  at  the  opening  of  the  thirty-ninth  con- 
gress. With  his  usual  unforgetfulness,  he  re- 
sumes connection  with  a  bill  presented  by  him 
in  the  early  part  of  the  previous  congress,  for 
reimbursing  the  loyal  states  for  war-expenses 
in  response  to  the  president's  call  for  troops. 
His  bill  is  very  explicit,  and  shows  that  during 
the  long  delay  he  had  perfected  it  in  its  details. 
No  flaw  is  found  in  it,  no  amendment  is  made 
to  it,  but  it  is  at  once  referred,  upon  his  mo- 
tion, to  a  select  committee  of  seven,  and  upon 
his  motion  he  demands  the  previous  question,  so 
that  the  matter  shall  be  attended  to  at  once.  The 
bill  was  read  a  first  and  second  time,  and  so 
referred. 

Mr.  Elaine  is  of  course  upon  the  committee, 
and  by  his  motion  members  are  added  to  it, 
and  they  are  empowered  to  hire  a  clerk.  What 
a  work  to  examine  and  pass  upon  all  the  war- 
debts  of  the  loyal  states !  A  grave  question 
soon  makes  its  appearance  in  congress.  In  un- 
doing the  legislation  of  years,  enacted  in  the  in- 
terests of  slavery,  they  have  come  to  the  basis 
of  representation.  The  slave  is  not  yet  a  citizen, 
and  if  the  basis  is  population  and  not  suffrage, 
the  South  will  have  an  immense  advantage, — 


266  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

indeed  an  advantage  similar  to  that  enjoyed  be- 
fore the  war,  when,  though  slaves  were  expressly 
recognized  as  chattels,  and  according  to  the  Dred 
Scott  decision,  "a  black  man  had  no  rights  a 
white  man  was  bound  to  respect,"  yet,  accord- 
ing to  slavery  law  five  of  them  gave  their  mas- 
ter three  extra  votes. 

But  the  ratio  of  voters  to  population  varied 
from  nineteen  to  fifty-eight  per  cent,  in  different 
states,  as,  for  example,  California  had  two 
hundred  and  seven  thousand  voters  out  of  a 
population  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-eight  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  ten,  while  Vermont  had 
but  eighty-seven  thousand  voters  out  of  a  popu- 
lation of  three  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand 
three  hundred  and  sixty-nine,  and  each  had 
three  representatives  in  congress ;  that  is,  eighty- 
seven  thousand  voters  in  Vermont  sent  three 
congressmen,  while  two  hundred  and  seven  thou- 
sand voters  in  California  sent  but  the  same 
number. 

There  were  more  women  and  children  in  Ver- 
mont, two  to  one,  than  in  California,  and  so  in 
the  latter  state  there  were  more  than  twice  as 
many  voters  in  the  same  population. 

It  was  with  such  arguments  as  the  above, — 
a  mathematical  argument,  without  sophistry,  and 
that  cannot  be  impeached, — that  he  opposed  a 
constitutional  amendment  making  suffrage  and 


CONTINUED    WORK  IN   CONGRESS,  26/ 

not  population  the  basis  of  representation,  and 
so  reserving  an  argument  to  use  in  framing  the 
citizenship  of  the  freemen. 

Mr.  Elaine  has  long  been  noted  for  the  great 
'•apidity  with  which  he  works. 

He  very  soon  has  an  immense  report  from 
his  committee  of  nine,  to  pay  the  loyal  states 
their  war-claims.  In  it  twenty-six  states,  five 
territories,  and  the  District  of  Columbia  have 
their  war-claims  adjusted,  and  they  are  to  re- 
ceive all  the  way  from  nine  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  dollars,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
territory  of  Dakota  for  enlisting  one  hundred 
and  eighty-one  men,  up  to  twenty  million  nine 
hundred  and  ninety-three  thousand  two  hundred 
and  eighty  dollars,  as  in  the  case  of  New  York 
for  enlisting  three  hundred  and  eighty-one  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  ninety-six  men ;  and  it  is 
a  peculiarity  with  him  to  know  for  himself,  by 
careful  computation,  the  exact  truth  of  the  sta- 
tistics he  employs. 

One  day  it  so  happened  that  he  used  the 
calculations  of  a  distinguished  member  who  was 
chairman  of  a  prominent  committee,  —  that  of 
ways  and  means,  —  and  they  were  called  in 
question ;  but  soon  after  he  was  able  to  affirm 
publicly  that  they  were  correct. 

There  was  such  a  charm  in  being  right  and 
knowing  it,  despite  all  contradiction,  that  he 


268  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

could  not  forego  the  pleasure,  the  very  confi- 
dence and  self-respect,  even  at  the  expense  of 
perplexing  effort.  A  point  of  order  was  raised 
against  him  one  day ;  his  instant  reply  was, 
"That  point  was  raised  exactly  ten  years  ago 
and  overruled,"  and  the  chair  ruled  in  harmony 
with  his  remembrance. 

His  great  love  for  mathematics,  and  the  posi- 
tion he  was  in  requiring  it,  he  was  led  to 
make  an  extensive  study  of  the  history  of 
finance,  and  in  a  speech  of  great  length,  by 
which  he  supported  his  report  to  pay  the  vast 
war-claims  of  the  loyal  states,  he  clearly  shows 
the  wide  range  of  his  acquaintance  with  the 
subject.  He  shows  great  familiarity  with  the 
policy  and  utterances  of  Alexander  Hamilton, 
his  exceeding  common-sense  methods,  which  he 
quotes  with  so  great  aptness  as  to  give  them 
the  power  of  living  arguments,  as  he  offers 
them  in  evidence  of  the  wisdom  of  his  own 
views  and  the  tenable  nature  of  the  positions 
he  has  taken. 

It  was  proposed  to  bring  all  troops  to  a 
three  years'  basis,  and  then  refund  at  the  rate 
of  fifty-five  dollars  a  man.  Thus,  Pennsylvania, 
with  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  thousand  three 
hundred  and  twenty-six  men,  which,  reduced  to 
a  three  years'  basis,  gave  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-eight,  which 


CONTINUED    WORK  IN  CONGRESS.  269 


at  the  rate  proposed  made  the  claim  of  that 
state  fourteen  million  seven  hundred  and  fifteen 
thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety  dollars.  The 
Gettysburgh  battle  alone  had  cost  the  state 
seven  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  as  for  that 
and  other  service  she  had  furnished  men  for  a 
much  shorter  period  than  three  years,  the  whole 
number  of  men  were  reduced  nearly  one  hun- 
dred thousand  to  get  them  all  on  the  three 
years'  basis. 

No  question  commanded  a  more  wide-spread 
or  deeper  attention  for  years  subsequent  to  the 
war  than  the  question  of  money,  and  it  behooved 
any  man  with  the  aspirations  of  a  statesman,  to 
make  a  long  and  thorough  study  of  it. 

"  Reading,"  it  is  said,  "  makes  a  full  man, 
speaking  a  ready  man."  He  was  both  reader 
and  speaker,  and  so  proved  the  trutn  of  the 
maxim,  by  being  both  a  full  and  a  ready  man ; 
and  he  never  allowed  himself  to  get  empty. 
It  was  the  knowledge  of  the  day,  most  valuable 
to  him,  with  which  he  was  filled,  as  well  as 
that  which  came  from  historical  research. 

It  was  about  this  time  that,  as  a  member  of 
the  committee  on  military  affairs,  and  while  the 
conduct  of  the  office  of  provost  marshal  general 
was  being  investigated,  that  he  had  his  lively 
tilt  with  Mr.  Roscoe  Conkling,  and  brought  out 
all  of  his  powers  of  wit  and  sarcasm,  showing 


2/O 


PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 


him  more  than  a  match  for  the  gentleman.  It 
was  undoubtedly  the  most  brilliant  intellectual 
contest  of  the  session.  Ex-Governor  Morrill  says, 
"It  was  a  pretty  lively  time,  but  they  were 
boys  then,  and  probably  are  better  friends  to- 
day, though  it  is  certainly  evident  they  both  did 
their  best." 

Consistency  in  legislation  seemed  a  law  with 
Mr.  Blaine,  so  that  the  House  should  not  be 
found  contradicting  itself  on  the  military  func- 
tions of  the  president.  Indeed  the  powers  of 
government  are  so  nicely  balanced  between  the 
executive  and  the  Senate  and  House,  that  great 
watchfulness  is  needed  that  there  be  no  conflict ; 
and  new  members,  —  and  sometimes  old  mem- 
bers, —  are  found  transgressing  legitimate  bounds. 
For  instance,  there  was  a  section  to  a  bill  that 
"until  the  fourth  day  of  July,  in  the  year  1870, 
all  persons  who  voluntarily  adhered  to  the  late 
insurrection,  giving  it  aid  and  comfort,  shall  be  ex- 
cluded from  the  right  to  vote  for  representatives 
in  congress,  and  for  elections  for  president  and 
vice-president  of  the  United  States."  He  at  once 
raised  the  question  of  bad  faith,  because  on 
July  17,  1862,  they  had  authorized  the  president 
to  grant  pardon  and  amnesty  to  any  person, 
state  or  part  thereof,  that  was  in  rebellion. 

And  to  this  effect  President  Lincoln  did  issue 
a  proclamation,  and  hundreds,  and  perhaps  thou- 


CONTINUED    WORK   IN   CONGRESS.  2/1 

sands,  of  pardons  were  granted.  And  in  1865 
President  Johnson  issued  his  celebrated  amnesty 
proclamation,  pardoning  all  below  the  military 
rank  of  colonel,  who  had  participated  in  the 
Rebellion,  excepting  certain  classes. 

One  thing  is  clearly  manifest  in  all  of  Mr. 
Elaine's  operations  in  congress,  —  he  thoroughly 
enjoys  it  all;  he  is  at  home,  and  feels  so  con- 
stantly. He  can  trust  himself;  there  is  no  striv- 
ing for  effect.  He  never  gets  lost  in  depths, 
nor  aground  upon  shallows.  He  can  fish  in  deep 
water,  or  seine  near  shore.  It  is  quite  notice- 
able how  he  will  go  with  the  passage  of  a 
motion  from  some  minor  detail  of  internal  reve- 
nue to  the  gravest  questions  of  constitutional 
law.  It  was  said  once  by  a  great  preacher  who 
was  pastor  of  a  large  church,  editor  of  a  large 
paper,  and  engaged  in  writing  a  book,  that  he 
had  to  live  in  those  three  great  spheres,  trans- 
porting himself  daily  from  one  to  another,  as  he 
worked  in  each.  But  here  were  not  less  than  a 
dozen  great  departments  with  which  one  must 
be  as  familiar  as  with  the  rooms  of  his  dwell- 
ing, and  have  in  possession,  living,  present,  tren- 
chant facts ;  the  latest  phases  of  new,  fresh  life, 
and  the  old  and  musty  as  well.  For  it  will  not 
do  to  blunder  in  congress;  it  is  blundering  be- 
fore the  nation,  and  before  the  world.  The 
folks  at  home  will  find  it  out  right  off,  and 


272  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

worst  of  all  you  will  find  it  out,  and  a  man 
will  feel  so  terribly  small,  and  ashamed,  and 
mean,  and  it  will  be  such  desperate  hard  work 
to,  own  up,  and  sit  down  with  all-hands  looking 
straight  at  you. 

It  is  one  of  the  first  matters  of  congressional 
courtesy,  to  let  any  one  ask  you  a  question. 
And  this  is  all  done  so  blandly,  and  in  such 
elegant  diction,  one  is  almost  charmed  by  the 
tones  so  as  scarcely  to  get  hold  of  the  question 
itself;  but  that  question  is  like  the  bee,  so 
bright  and  beautiful,  and  musical  withal,  and 
yet  it  has  a  sting. 

What  is  denominated  "brass,"  in  modern  par- 
lance, will  not  serve  one's  purpose.  It  is  at 
once  detected  by  its  sound,  and  then  confusion 
comes,  —  it  will  come,  it  must  come,  and  brass 
cannot  prevent  it. 

The  present  was  a  long,  tedious  term,  and 
kept  the  members  well  into  the  summer.  The 
internal-revenue  laws  must  be  properly  adjusted; 
the  army  re-organized ;  settlers  were  pouring, 
by  the  thousand,  and  actually  by  the  hundred 
thousand,  into  the  great  region  between  the  Mis- 
souri and  the  Pacific,  —  so  much  so  that  the 
lieutenant-general  urges  congress  to  provide  the 
means  requisite  for  their  protection,  as  a  great 
body  of  citizens  who  are  filling  up  the  country, 
rendering  it  productive,  and  erecting  states;  and 


CONTINUED    WORK  IN   CONGRESS. 


beside  these,  a  multitude  of  other  things  are 
demanding  attention. 

And  then,  after  adjournment,  comes  the  great 
campaign,  in  which  the  thirteenth  amendment  is 
submitted  to  the  suffrage  of  the  people.  Two- 
thirds  of  the  states  must  endorse  it  to  make  it 
organic  law,  and  this  they  do  right  heartily,  and 
congress  resumes  its  session  the  first  Monday 
in  December.  It  is  the  second  session  of  the 
thirty-ninth  congress,  and  the  second  of  Mr. 
Elaine's  second  term. 

Mr.  Elaine  had  a  very  eligible  seat,  at  the 
left  of  the  speaker,  and  well  in  front;  almost 
within  reach  of  him  sat  Garfield. 

The  first  day  of  the  session  Mr.  Elaine  made 
a  move  for  the  repeal  of  the  three  cents  per 
pound  tax  on  raw  cotton,  which  was  finally  car- 
ried. This  was  a  move  which  affected  every 
home,  and  especially  the  laboring  classes  ;  for 
older  ones  do  not  forget  how  enormously  high 
cotton  goods  were  in  war  times  and  subsequently, 
and  so  have  little  difficulty  in  understanding  the 
importance  of  such  a  move.  It  was  contended 
that  it  was  a  wrong  principle  to  tax  the  raw 
production  of  the  soil,  and  in  conflict  with  the 
long-established  policy  of  the  nation. 

Mr.  Elaine's  resolves  at  this  time  came  thick 
and  fast,  like  resolutions  at  New  Year's,  but 
with  more  purpose  in  them.  Indeed  his  purpose 


274  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

is  a  noticeable  feature  of  every  move,  and  he 
could  state  it  in  the  plainest  kind  of  English, 
and  it  was  his  practice,  after  a  bill  was  read, 
or  resolution  presented,  to  state  its  meaning, 
tell  just  what  he  meant  by  it,  as  the  legal 
forms  do  not  always  make  it  at  once  apparent. 
He  gives  his  reasons  for  the  measure.  For  in- 
stance, volunteer  officers  could  not  be  breveted 
in  the  regular  army  for  meritorious  service  in 
the  volunteer  service.  This  he  saw  was  wrong, 
and  drew  up  a  bill  in  regular  form  to  right 
the  matter,  and  then  states  what  he  means 
about  it,  and  the  facts  that  have  moved  him, 
generally  move  the  rest.  Almost  nine-tenths  of 
the  new  regular  army  was  to  be  made  up 
of  the  old  volunteers,  and  he  would  have  the 
old  regular  army  laws  changed  so  as  not  to  dis- 
criminate against  them  and  in  favor  of  West 
Pointers. 

There  was  no  red-tape  about  him.  He  did 
not  believe  in  it.  It  took  too  much  time,  and 
was  too  unjust.  He  believed  in  solid  worth, 
and  in  rewarding  it.  He  is  a  straight  and  con- 
stant American,  and  loves  all  who  love  America, 
and  will  not  have  them  dealt  unfairly  with  if  it 
is  in  his  power  to  prevent.  Fair  play  is  a  term 
he  often  used  during  his  early  terms  in  con- 
gress. It  seemed  to  express  his  ideal  of  honor. 
An  unfair  man  was  not  respectable  in  his  eyes. 


CONTINUED    WORK  IN  CONGRESS.  2?$ 

It  was  a  right  upon  which  he  strenuously  in- 
sisted for  himself.  He  evidently  had  seen  the 
old  definition  of  freeman,  "Who  knows  his  rights 
and  knowing  dare  maintain." 

And  yet  this  genius  of  fair  play  which  pos- 
sessed him,  kept  him  from  being  a  bigot.  His 
sense  of  justice  would  rebel  against  an  outrage 
inflicted  upon  anyone.  But  it  is  getting  to  be  a 
hot  place  in  congress.  Andrew  Johnson  has  dis- 
appointed the  hopes  of  the  nation.  He  is  not 
filling  the  place  of  the  dead  Lincoln,  but  rather 
dishonoring  it,  and  articles  of  impeachment  are 
originating  in  the  House,  summoning  him  before 
the  bar  of  the  senate  because  of  "  the  crimes 
and  high  misdemeanors  of  which  he  is  manifestly 
and  notoriously  guilty,  and  which  render  it  un- 
safe longer  to  permit  him  to  exercise  the  func- 
tions he  has  unlawfully  assumed."  The  air  was 
filled  with  this  matter  of  impeachment  during  the 
summer  campaign,  but  on  in  the  dead  of  winter 
there  is  no  disposition  to  rush  madly  or  blindly 
into  it.  It  is  but  one  of  many  things  demand- 
ing attention. 

Mr.  Blaine  is  as  conservative  as  he  is  radical. 
He  combines  in  a  very  strong  and  decided  man- 
ner many  of  the  best  characteristics  of  both.  He 
does  not  rush  into  everything  that  comes  be- 
fore the  House,  but  calmly  surveys  and  studies, 
and  comes  to  know  the  question  in  its  bearings, 


2/6  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

and  reaches  conclusions,  and  with  these  truly 
gained  and  firmly  held,  he  is  ready  for  action. 

The  novelty  of  a  thing  makes  him  suspicious; 
he  must  know  it  through  and  through,  for  when 
he  begins  he  will  surely  end.  One  comes  to  ex- 
pect that  when  he  presses  a  measure  it  will  pass, 
and  however  much  there  may  be  to  retard  its 
progress,  he  will  never  lose  sight  of  it  until  it 
goes  through. 

It  seemed  to  be  a  time  of  political  apostasy 
in  the  nation.  Many  are  betraying  their  trusts, 
and  a  large  number  fall,  politically,  to  rise  no 
more.  Many  of  the  old  war  Democrats,  like 
Andrew  Johnson,  were  simply  Democrats  when 
the  war  was  over.  It  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of 
political  reaction  after  the  high  pressure  of  the 
war.  They  were  not  prepared  to  accept  all  the 
results  of  the  war.  It  was  more  than  they  had 
anticipated,  and  the  result  was  an  unwillingness  to 
proceed,  and  so  many  called  a  halt ;  but  Thaddcus 
Stevens  in  the  House,  and  Charles  Sumner  in  the 
senate,  kept  the  work  planned  and  the  forces  in 
motion.  Mr.  Stevens  formed  a  strong  friendship 
for  Mr.  Elaine,  and  as  they  were  on  the  mili- 
tary committee  together,  he  learned  to  respect 
his  talents  and  prize  his  ability. 


XIII. 


CONGRESSIONAL  CAREER  CONTINUED. 


HE  4th  of  March  comes,  and  with 
it  the  fortieth  congress,  with  Schuy- 
ler  Colfax,  of  Indiana,  still  in  the 
speaker's  chair;  Rutherford  B.  Hayes, 
James  A.  Garfield,  and  James  G.  Blaine  are  in 
the  House.  They  were  on  their  way  up  to  the 
nation's  honors,  and  had  scats  near  each  other. 
The  House,  rather  than  the  senate,  is  the  place 
to  look  for  presidents.  There  seems  to  be  no 
special  reason  for  it,  unless  it  is  that  senatorial 
dignity  and  greatness  are  less  approachable,  not 
so  easily  grasped  by  the  public  mind,  and  far- 
ther away  from  the  great  masses  of  the  people. 
Mr.  Blaine  comes  to  the  fortieth  congress 
with  the  same  soldierly  spirit  of  fearlessness,  the 
same  scholarly  spirit  of  intelligence,  the  same 
genial  spirit  of  friendship,  that  have  borne  him 
through  two  former  terms  in  Washington.  He  is 
now  recognized  as  an  adept  in  parliamentary  law, 
and  is  put  on  with  the  speaker,  Mr.  Washburne, 
and  others  to  revise  the  rules  of  the  House, 


278  PINE    TO    rOTOMAC. 

and  is  found  reporting  rule  after  rule  for 
adoption.  He  is  fairly  in  training  now  for  the 
speakership,  but  before  that  can  come  he  must 
be  re-elected,  and  he  has  already  been  elected 
twice  by  way  of  compliment,  as  it  is  termed  in 
Maine.  But  he  is  no  dreamer,  and  so  devotes 
himself  to  business,  with  enough  to  do,  and  no 
idle  hours.  He  is  quite  methodical,  and  is 
heard  frequently  insisting  upon  the  regular  order 
of  business,  and  that  business  on  the  speaker's 
stand  be  attended  to,  and  also  that  members 
attend  the  evening  sessions  for  business.  It 
worries  him  to  see  business  of  importance  drag, 
and  bills  accumulate,  and  so  the  House  get 
behind  in  its  work.  He  uses  every  parliamen- 
tary method  to  prevent  delays,  and  seldom  is 
his  way  hedged  up  effectually  when  he  has  de- 
termined upon  his  course,  and  feels  that  fidelity 
to  his  trust  requires  expedition.  He  usually 
gets  through  without  much  opposition,  for  good 
nature  in  him  begets  it  in  others,  and  so  when 
all  are  thus  made  willing,  as  by  an  opposite 
disposition  they  are  made  unwilling,  it  is  an 
easy  matter.  But  when  the  measure  is  at  all 
political,  as  are  some  of  the  great  measures 
which  crystalize  the  war-victories  into  constitu- 
tional enactments,  he  is  put  upon  his  resources 
for  ways  and  means,  and  is  found  usually  to  be 
as  fertile  as  the  occasion  demands. 


CONGRESSIONAL   CAREER  CONTINUED.         279 

He  is  down  in  the  Record  as  an  editor,  and 
this  places  him  in  relations  of  sympathy  and 
friendship  with  journalists  at  the  capital.  He 
is  known,  and  knows  them,  and  shows  by 
the  favor  of  various  acts  of  kindness  that  his 
editorial  heart  is  still  beating  warm  for  the 
drivers  of  the  quill.  There  are  but  three 
other  editors  besides  himself  in  the  House, — 
James  Brooks,  of  New  York  city;  Lawrence  J. 
Getz,  of  Reading;  and  Adam  J.  Glassbremer,  of 
York,  Penn. 

Gen.  John  A.  Logan  sits  near  enough  to  Mr. 
Blaine  for  them  to  get  well  acquainted,  and  they 
are  soon  found  speaking  upon  the  same  question 
of  appropriating  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  to 
purchase  seed-corn  for  the  South. 

It  is  certainly  a  matter  of  peculiar  interest  to 
look  in  upon  these  men  and  see  them  at  their 
work,  all  unconscious  of  the  great  future  that 
lies  before  them ;  some  of  the  time  doing  what 
seems  like  little  things,  as  when  Mr.  Blaine 
moves  "to  exempt  wrapping  paper  made  from 
wood  from  internal  tax,"  and  Mr.  Garfield  rises 
and  says,  "  I  ask  the  gentleman  from  Maine  to 
allow  an  amendment  by  inserting  the  word  '  corn- 
stalks,' which,"  he  added,  "was  a  very  impor- 
tant manufacture."  But  all  of  these  little  things 
were  part  of  the  great  internal-revenue  tax  bill, 
which  was  to  bring  millions  into  the  treasury 


280 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


of    the   nation,   and    so    support    the    government, 
and   pay   the   war-debt. 

The  impeachment  resolutions  were  having  a 
history  in  the  House,  and  a  reference  to  them 
brings  out  one  fact  very  conclusively, — that  Mr. 
Blaine  was  not  hot-headed  in  the  sense  of  rash- 
ness. Many  were  at  this  time, — about  a  year 
before  the  impeachment  trial, — filled  with  alarm, 
excited,  aroused,  and  bent  upon  the  work  at 
once ;  but  Mr.  Blaine  was  cool,  attentive,  col- 
lected, and  studious  of  the  great  subject,  and 
he  saw  that  as  yet  the  country  did  not  demand 
it,  and  so  he  moved,  the  senate  concurring, 
"That  when  the  House  adjourn,  on  Tuesday 
next,  it  be  to  meet  on  Monday,  November  n, 
at  twelve  o'clock,  M."  Some  six  months  would 
intervene,  and  many  objected.  General  Butler 
was  there,  and  offered  a  vigorous  protest.  He 
was  for  war,  vigorous,  uncompromising,  and  mer- 
ciless. But  Mr.  Blaine  replied,  "  I  would  ask  the 
gentleman  from  Massachusetts,  through  what  con- 
vention of  the  people,  through  what  organism  of 
public  opinion,  through  what  channel  of  general 
information  anywhere  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land,  this  demand  is  made  upon 
congress?  [It  was  then  March  23,  1867.]  Sir, 
I  maintain  that  out  of  the  seventeen  or  eighteen 
hundred  newspapers  that  represent  the  loyal 
Union  party  of  this  country, — and  these  are 


CONGRESSIONAL   CAREER   CONTINUED.        28 1 

the  best  indices  of  public  opinion  which  a 
party  has,  —  the  gentleman  cannot  find  twenty- 
five  which  regard  the  impeachment  movement 
as  one  ^seriously  to  be  undertaken  on  the  part 
of  congress  at-  this  time." 

It  is  exceedingly  difficult  for  us  now  to  go 
back  to  a  year  before  the  extraordinary  spectacle 
of  an  impeachment  trial  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  recall  all  the  circumstances 
and  the  state  of  the  country  at  that  particular 
time.  The  best  minds  in  the  House  seemed  to 
be  with  Mr.  Elaine  in  his  feeling,  that  there  was 
no  immediate  demand  or  warrant  for  the  im- 
peachment of  the  president.  His  acts  were  pub- 
lic, and  known  to  the  people,  and  from  them 
to  their  representatives  in  congress  must  come 
the  demand.  Moreover,  the  resolutions  of  im- 
peachment had  been  in  the  hands  of  a  special 
committee  for  some  months,  but  they,  agreeing 
with  Mr.  Elaine,  saw  no  cause  for  impetuous 
action. 

It  was  evidently  designed  to  be  a  matter  of 
wholesome  restraint,  that  this  preliminary  step 
had  been  taken.  A  great  many  speeches  were 
•made  under  the  resolution  to  adjourn,  upon  the 
impeachment  question. 

Mr.  Garfield  said,  "The  gentleman  said  I 
desired  congress  to  remain  in  session  for  two 
reasons ;  first,  to  compel  the  appointment  of  cer- 


232 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


tain  persons  to  office  [there  were  several  hun- 
dred postmasters  to  be  appointed  and  confirmed], 
and  second,  for  the  purpose  of  impeaching  the 
president.  I  call  his  attention  to  the  fact,  that 
I  made  no  allusion  whatever  to  the  question  of 
impeachment ;  I  have  nothing  to  say  in  that 
direction  until  I  hear  from  the  committee.  I 
expressed  it  as  my  opinion  merely  that  the 
President  of  the  United  States  would  be  very 
glad  to  have  the  fortieth  congress  adjourn,  and 
this  I  understood  from  the  friends  of  the  pres- 
ident." 

Mr.  Boutwell,  taking  part,  said,  "The  great 
and  substantial  reason  is  that  whether  this 
House  shall  proceed  to  impeach  the  president  or 
not,  the  majority  of  the  people  of  this  country, 
South  and  North,  black  and  white,  loyal  and  rebel, 
have  pretty  generally  lost  confidence  in  him." 

"That   is  true,"    said   Mr.    Elaine. 

"Whether  this  loss  of  confidence  be  based 
upon  facts  of  his  character,  or  measures  of  his 
public  policy,  or  upon  suspicion  or  prejudice 
merely,  I  do  not  propose  now  to  inquire.  The 
great  fact  is,  the  people  of  the  country  every- 
where have  lost  confidence  in  the  wisdom,  if 
not  in  the  honesty,  of  his  administration." 

Mr.  Elaine.  "The  gentleman  will  allow  me  to 
inquire  whether  he  thinks  that  our  staying  here 
will  restore  confidence  in  the  president." 


CONGRESSIONAL    CAREER   CONTINUED.         283 
"  No,    sir." 

Mr.  Elaine  held  the  floor  under  a  certain  rule 
of  congress,  and  gave  his  time  to  others  as  they 
desired  to  discuss  the  question,  but  at  the  end 
was  firm  as  a  rock.  His  mind  was  unchanged, 
and  from  this  and  other  instances  the  truth  ap- 
pears, that  as  he  used  only  facts,  figures,  testi- 
mony, experience,  written  or  related  evidence  of 
a  personal  character,  and  that  he  could  not  be 
gainsaid,  and  was  never  metaphysical,  a  priori, 
or  theorizing  in  his  discussions,  so  nothing  but 
facts  or  figures,  something  tangible  and  real,  in- 
fluenced him.  The  sailing  of  an  eagle  might  be 
very  beautiful,  and  elicit^  feelings  of  admiration 
and  sublimity,  but  it  did  not  influence  his  judg- 
ment. 

Only  the  kind  of  arguments  he  used  to  in- 
fluence other  minds  would  influence  his, — and 
when  his  mind  was  made  up,  it  was  from  just 
these  sources  of  evidence  that  are  so  convincing, 
so  incontrovertible,  giving  strength  to  the  mind, 
and  putting  granite  under  the  feet  of  the  man. 

As  one  has  said,  "  I  believed,  therefore  have 
I  spoken " ;  so  with  him,  he  believed,  and  there- 
fore spoke.  No  surface-current,  only  the  deep 
under-current,  moved  him. 

Mr.  Blame  has  great  accuracy  in  the  use  of 
language,  and  although  off-hand  and  often  under 
peculiarly  distracting  circumstances,  one  who  fol- 


284 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


lowed  him  quite  closely  through  his  various  ut- 
terances, did  not  discover  a  grammatical  mistake 
until  near  the  end  of  the  fortieth  congress,  and 
that  was  possibly  a  mistake  of  the  printer,  and 
very  slight  in  itself,  using  "to"  for  "at"  in  the 
phrase  "strike  at  the  senate  committee  clerks 
more  than  it  does  to  ours." 

Congress  adjourned  on  the  3Oth  of  March  un- 
til the  2 ist  of  November,  unless  a  quorum  was 
present  the  3d  of  July,  and  if  so  a  session 
would  be  held.  A  brief  session  of  two  weeks 
was  held,  but  Mr.  Blaine  was  not  there.  He 
and  Elihu  B.  Washburne  and  another  congress- 
man were  in  Europe.  It  was  Mr.  Elaine's  first 
trip.  Liverpool  was  visited,  and  commercial  in- 
terests were  studied.  Imagination  seldom  fur- 
nishes right  impressions.  No  one  about  whom 
we  have  heard  ever  looks  as  we  expected  he  was 
going  to.  It  always  gets  great  men  too  large 
on  the  outside,  and  enormous  cities  either  too 
large  or  too  small,  as  the  case  may  be.  Liver- 
pool was  immense ;  it  has  to  be  so.  Almost  lim- 
itless is  England's  foreign  trade.  What  men  they 
must  have  been  to  make  their  island  so  impor- 
tant as  to  compel  the  commerce  of  the  world 
to  visit  them !  It  was  wonderful ;  the  ships  and 
cargoes  for  all  of  India,  for  Egypt,  for  all  of 
Europe,  for  Australia,  for  America,  and  the  In- 
dies, for  Mexico,  China  and  Japan. 


CONGRESSIONAL    CAREER  CONTINUED.         285 

It  was  indeed  a  study  for  him  whose  mind 
must  find  the  merits  of  every  subject.  It  was 
not  simply  a  matter  of  landing  safely  and  board- 
ing a  train  for  London.  The  war  was  but  two 
years  over.  The  Alabama  was  not  forgotten,  nor 
all  of  England's  mischief.  Ships  and  shipping  in 
all  their  construction  and  competition  had  been 
the  study  of  years  to  him,  and  to  take  in  those 
busy  scenes  upon  the  Mersey  and  the  Clyde, 
was  but  the  reading  of  a  new  book  to  one  fa- 
miliar with  the  language. 

They  reach  the  great  metropolis.  Parliament 
is  their  objective  point.  Few  will  have  more 
brains  than  they  bring  with  them,  or  know 
more  about  their  affairs  of  state;  but  the  study 
is  to  be  long  and  careful,  and  they  are  to  know 
more  fully  the  inner  life  and  character  of  those 
who  have  made  laws  for  half  the  world.  Day 
after  day,  week  after  week,  the  great  Head  Cen- 
tre in  all  its  ramifications  is  studied  at  shortest 
possible  range. 

But  Scotland  and  Ireland  must  be  visited,  for 
they  are  the  home  of  his  ancestors.  He  breathes 
the  air,  he  sees  the  sky,  he  presses  the  sod,  he 
touches  the  heather.  He  is  really,  truly  there. 
The  dream  of  boyhood  days,  when  he  stood  by 
grandfather's  knee,  and  heard  of  the  old  clans, 
the  blowing  of  the  horn,  and  the  echoes  down 
the  valleys,  of  the  cows  and  sheep,  and  the  tin 


286  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

kling  of  the  bells,  the  clash  of  arms  and  the  bat- 
tles won;  and  now  he  is  there,  thrilled  with  the 
memories  and  the  ancient  scenes.  The  old  cas- 
tles, quaint,  and  moss-covered,  and  grand,  and  the 
people  with  their  fresh  look  and  fiery  eye,  vigi- 
lant ever  to  the  end  of  time.  What  valleys  and 
mountains  and  peoples  are  there ;  what  rivers  and 
lakes  and  loud-sounding  sea  !  Surely  nothing  short 
of  an  affair  of  the  Stuarts  would  compel  them 
to  quit  their  strongholds  and  their  homes,  their 
native  heather,  and  flee  to  other  lands,  so  far, 
so  very  far  away  as  it  was  then,  back  in  that 
olden  time. 

What  events  have  transpired  since  that  1720, 
nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  before.  What 
events  in  Europe,  England  and  America.  What 
in  India  and  the  Orient ;  and  yet  the  man  of 
eighty  had  sat,  a  boy  of  five,  upon  his  grand- 
sire's  knee  who  had  rounded  out  his  four-score 
years,  and  a  boy  of  ten  had  walked  with  him 
upon  the  highlands,  and  so  could  bring  the  mes- 
sages of  that  far-off  time  to  present  generations. 

As  Mr.  Garfield  had  "during  his  only  visit  to 
England  busied  himself  in  searching  out  every 
trace  of  his  forefathers  in  parish-registries  and 
ancient  army-rolls,"  so  his  inheritor  of  the  na- 
tion's honors  traced  back  the  stock  from  which 
he  sprang  to  mountain,  glen,  and  castle,  which 
had  rung  with  the  name  he  bore.  He  too  might 


CONGRESSIONAL   CAREER   CONTINUED.         287 

say,  sitting  with  a  friend  in  the  gallery  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  "that  when  patriots  of  Eng- 
lish blood  had  struck  sturdy  blows  for  constitu- 
tional government  and  human  liberty,  his  family 
had  been  represented." 

But  they  continue  their  journey,  and  cross  the 
English  channel  from  Dover  to  Calais,  and  soon 
are  in  the  capital  of  the  French  Empire.  Na- 
poleon III  is  there  in  his  glory.  Two  years 
later  his  traveling  companion,  Hon.  E.  B.  Wash- 
burne,  is  to  be  United  States  minister  at  his 
court,  and  not  long  after  a  prisoner  in  Paris 
during  its  siege  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war. 

Mr.  Elaine's  knowledge  of  French  serves  him, 
and  enables  him  to  secure  all  the  general  infor- 
mation he  desired.  He  was  not  among  free  in- 
stitutions now,  and  felt  the  keen  chill  in  the 
very  atmosphere.  But  in  visiting  the  French 
Assembly  there  was  a  show  of  liberty,  like  an 
eagle  in  a  cage.  It  was  a  noisy,  tumultuous 
scene,  with  a  jargon  indescribable  and  largely 
unintelligible.  Few  things  are  wilder,  except  the 
ocean  in  a  storm,  than  the  deliberative  assembly 
of  the  French  nation  when  measures  of  special 
importance  are  pending.  But  the  great  city,  with 
its  multitudes  of  people,  is  full  of  attractions. 

The  Tuilleries  is  visited,  and  the  Champs 
Elysdes,  the  great  armies  so  soon  to  reel  in  the 
shock  of  war,  and  learn  a  lesson  of  sobriety 


288  P/XE    TO    POTOMAC. 


and  contented  home-life  that  shall  give  to  the 
French  of  the  future  a  greatness  that  has  in  it 
more  of  the  element  of  stability  and  permanency, 
and  so  tone  down  their  mercurial  and  volatile 
nature.  The  Rhine  is  visited,  and  Florence. 

Relaxation  and  rest  are  great  objects  of  the 
visit.  The  malaria  of  the  Potomac  at  Washing- 
ton, which  gets  into  the  bones  of  congressmen, 
and  senators,  and  presidents,  must  be  gotten  out 
of  him,  and  he  made  ready  for  greater  service 
and  larger  conquests. 

History  is  all  about  him  ;  the  nations  of  Eu- 
rope are  within  his  reach  ;  their  capitals  are 
visited,  and  they  are  studied  from  life.  Impres- 
sions deep,  and  strong,  and  lasting  are  made. 
Plutarch's  old  method  of  comparisons  and  con- 
trasts still  serves  him,  and  he  gets  his  knowl- 
edge in  classified,  compact  forms.  The  people 
and  their  condition,  their  rulers  and  the  laws, 
interest  him  as  much  as  the  great,  queer  build- 
ings, the  splendid  palaces,  the  magnificent  cathe- 
drals, the  varied  works  of  art,  and  the  giant 
mountains,  the  beautiful  villages,  valleys,  and 
lakes,  and  all  that  is  picturesque  in  nature. 
Switzerland  is  a  charm  ;  Italy  a  delight,  and  the 
whole  journey  a  joy.  He  returns  a  broader, 
deeper,  wiser  man,  to  live  a  stronger,  richer  life 
in  a  larger  world. 

He   was   in   his   seat   at   the   beginning  of    con- 


CONGRESSIONAL   CAREER   CONTINUED.         289 

gross  in  November.  Eight  men  are  there  from 
Tennessee,  whose  right  to  seats  is  challenged. 
The  impeachment  question  has  gained  promi- 
nence, and  he  joins  in  the  search  for  evidence. 
He  does  not  want  hearsay,  but  official  docu- 
ments, and  so  he  introduces  a  resolution,  calling 
upon  the  general  commanding  the  armies  to 
communicate  to  the  House  any  and  all  corres- 
pondence addressed  by  him  to  the  president 
upon  the  removal  of  Secretary  Stanton  and 
General  Sheridan,  and  General  Sickles  as  well ; 
and  also  with  reference  to  the  proposed  mission 
of  the  general  of  the  army  to  Mexico  in  1866. 

But  his  great  friend,  Senator  Fessenden,  is 
now  secretary  of  the  treasury,  and  this  gives 
the  financial  question  a  new  interest,  and  he 
comes  to  the  front  in  a  most  vigorous  manner 
as  vindicator  and  defender  of  the  secretary's 
financial  policy,  in  one  of  his  great  speeches  on 
the  currency. 

It  is  quite  early  in  the  session,  only  five 
days  after  congress  convened.  His  friend,  Mr. 
Washburne,  had  taken  the  initiatory  step  by 
moving  they  go  into  committee  of  the  whole  on 
the  state  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Dawes  was  in  the  chair,  and  the  question 
related  to  the  reduction  of  the  currency.  Erro- 
neous and  mischievous  views  had  been  put  for- 
ward, regarding  the  nature  of  the  public  obliga- 


29O  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

tion  imposed  by  the  debt  of  the  United  States. 
Various  forms  of  repudiation  had  been  suggested. 
Mr.  Pendleton,  the  recent  Democratic  candidate 
for  vice-president,  and  General  Butler,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, had  assumed  the  position  that  "the 
principal  and  the  interest  of  United  States  bonds, 
known  as  the  five-twenties,  may  be  fairly  and 
legally  paid  in  paper  currency  by  the  govern- 
ment, after  the  expiration  of  five  years  from  the 
date  of  the  issue." 

And  just  here  we  get  a  view  of  Mr.  Elaine's 
power  of  analysis;  the  ability  of  his  mind  to 
grasp  a  subject  in  its  great  features  and  funda- 
mental principles ;  to  bring  to  the  surface  its 
underlying  points  or  elements  of  strength  and 
weakness,  so  classified  and  arranged  as  to  state 
them  in  logical  and  convincing  propositions,  and 
all  of  them  most  practical  in  their  character. 

1.  "The   position    contravenes    the    honor    and 
good     faith     of    the    national    government."     And 
this   was   the   final   view   adhered   to    by   the   best 
statesmen   of  the   Republican   party. 

2.  "It    is    hostile   to    the    spirit   and   letter   of 
the   law. 

3.  "It     contemptuously    ignores     the     common 
understanding    between    borrower    and    lender    at 
the  time   the   loan   was   negotiated  (which   was  by 
Jay   Cooke   &   Co.   in    1863,  to   the  extent   of   five 
hundred    million     dollars),    a    large    proportion    of 


CONGRESSIONAL   CAREER  CONTINUED.         29 1 

which  was  purchased  by  foreign  capitalists,  and 
was  very  successful.  Nothing*  was  said  about 
payment  in  gold,  but  payment  in  gold,  both  of 
principal  and  interest,  had  been  the  invariable 
rule  from  the  foundation  of  the  government." 

"Our  government,"  said  Nathaniel  Mason,  "is 
a  hard-money  government,  founded  by  hard-money 
men,  and  its  debts  are  hard-money  debts." 

Nothing  was  intimated  to  the  contrary  when 
the  bill  was  passed  and  the  bonds  issued,  and 
the  duties  on  imports  pledged  to  their  payment, 
were  to  be  paid  in  coin.  The  final  point  in  his 
argument  was:  — 

4.  "It  would  prove  disastrous  to  the  finan- 
cial interests  of  the  government,  and  the  gen- 
eral prosperity  of  the  country,"  by,  of  course, 
reducing  the  par  value  of  the  bonds  and  block- 
ading their  sale  as  they  floated  through  the 
markets  of  the  world. 

It  should  be  with  some  pride  and  glory  now, 
after  the  honorable  history  of  the  national  debt 
thus  far,  and  which  has  given  to  the  nation  the 
credit  of  the  world,  that  Mr.  Elaine  remembers 
that  so  early  in  the  discussion,  when  the  ideas 
of  the  many  were  crude,  and  only  those  of  the 
few  were  clear,  that  he  closed  his  speech  with 
these  splendid  words, — words  which  embody  the 
steady  policy  of  the  government  from  that  time 
to  the  present: — 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


"I  am  sure,"  said  Mr.  Elaine,  J'that  in  the 
peace  which  our  arms  have  conquered,  we  shall 
not  dishonor  ourselves  by  withholding  from  any 
public  creditor  a  dollar  that  we  promised  to  pay 
him;  nor  seek  by  cunning  construction  and 
clever  afterthought  to  evade  or  escape  the  full 
responsibility  of  our  national  indebtedness.  It 
will  doubtless  cost  us  a  vast  sum  to  pay  that 
indebtedness,  but  it  will  cost  us  incalculably 
more  not  to  pay  it." 

It  took  Gen.  Benj.  F.  Butler  two  days  to  reply 
to  this  speech  of  Mr.  Elaine's,  in  which  he 
bloomed  forth  as  a  greenbacker  of  fullest  flower 
and  strongest  fragrance.  This  led  Mr.  Elaine  to 
say:  — 

"We  have  a  loan  distinctly  defined,  well-known 
to  the  people,  that  has  a  specific  rate  of  inter- 
est, a  certain  time  to  run,  and  express  condition 
on  which  it  is  to  be  paid;  but  the  gentleman 
from  Massachusetts  is  for  brushing  this  all  aside 
and  placing  before  the  country  a  species  of 
legal  tender  notes  which  have  no  fixed  time  to 
run,  bear  no  interest,  have  no  standard  of  value, 
and  which  the  government  is  under  no  obliga- 
tion to  pay  at  any  particular  time,  and  which 
may  indeed  never  be  called  in  for  redemption." 

And  all  of  this  reminded  Mr.  Elaine  of  a 
story  :  — 

"I    think   the   gentleman    must    have    borrowed 


CONGRESSIONAL   CAREER  CONTINUED.         293 

his  notions  of  finance  from  a  man  who  failed  a 
few  years  since  in  one  of  the  eastern  cities  of 
Maine,  and  who  wrote  over  his  store-door,  'Pay- 
ment suspended  for  thirty  days.'  A  neighbor 
passing  by  said  to  him,  '  You  have  neglected  to 
date  your  notice.'  'Why,  no,'  said  he,  'I  did  not 
intend  to  date  it ;  it  would  run  out  if  I  did.' 
And  so  the  gentleman  was  to  issue  a  government 
legal  tender  that  never  runs  out." 

The  sitting  of  congress  during  the  winter  of 
1867  and  1868,  was  long  and  tedious,  extending 
from  November  on  into  July.  Mr.  Elaine  was 
on  the  committee  on  appropriations,  and  had 
charge  of  the  army-appropriation  bill  on  its  pas- 
sage through  the  House.  The  army  had  been 
reduced  to  sixty  regiments,  and  thirty-two  mil- 
lion dollars  asked  to  pay  them,  while  before  the 
war  twenty-five  million  dollars  for  the  army,  con- 
sisting of  only  nineteen,  or  as  Mr.  Elaine  put 
it,  "a  regiment  under  the  Democratic  adminis- 
tration preceding  the  war  cost  more  than  double 
in  gold  what  it  costs  now  under  General  Grant 
in  paper,  or  in  other  words,  that  it  cost  on  an 
average  over  a  million  of  dollars  in  gold  to  a 
regiment  then,  and  when  General  Grant  was  in 
charge,  about  half  a  million  to  a  regiment." 

It  required  great  patience,  courage,  and  intel- 
ligence to  stand  by  such  a  bill  for  two  or  three 
days,  answer  all  questions,  meet  all  objections 


294  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

and  opposition,  and  keep  sweet  all  through ;  for 
it  was  made  a  political  question,  as  nearly  every 
measure  was,  and  so  the  opposition  party  would 
sit  there  and  resist  and  vote  in  a  bunch,  but 
usually  to  no  purpose.  The  great  impeachment 
trial  had  come  on,  and  was  being  conducted  by 
the  senate  in  the  presence  of  members  of  the 
House. 

This  caused  their  adjournment  after  the  morn- 
ing hour  until  three  o'clock,  daily.  The  mana- 
gers of  the  trial,  chosen  by  the  House,  were 
John  A.  Bingham,  George  S.  Boutwell,  James  F. 
Wilson,  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Thomas  Williams, 
John  A.  Logan,  and  Thaddeus  Stevens. 

Having  faithfully  performed  all  his  work  upon 
the  great  committee,  and  seen  to  it  that  every 
trust  confided  to  him  in  congress  was  sacredly 
discharged,  he  procured  an  indefinite  leave  of  ab- 
sence, after  being  there  day  and  night  for  some 
eight  months,  and  not  being  one  of  the  managers 
of  the  impeachment  trial,  and  having  no  active 
part  to  take  in  its  proceedings,  and  so  he  went 
home  to  conduct  the  summer  campaign,  giving 
himself,  however,  but  two  months  for  this  pur- 
pose. He  had  been  absent  in  Europe,  the  sum- 
mer before,  and  now  he  had  been  renominated 
to  congress  for  the  fourth  time,  something  unu- 
sual in  the  district,  as  he  had  been  elected 
three  times  already. 


CONGRESSIONAL   CAREER   COA^TINUED.         2$$ 

It  would  not  do  to  fail,  having  been  thus  hon- 
ored by- his  party.  So  notwithstanding  his  long, 
hard  siege  in  congress,  and  which  had  brought  him 
more  than  ever  into  official  communication  with 
heads  of  departments  and  the  general  of  the 
army,  he  devotes  July  and  August  to  hard  cam- 
paign-work, discussing  before  the  people  the  great 
questions  of  the  currency,  and  the  war-debt, 
etc.,  that  had  filled  his  mind  in  congress.  His 
experience  there  had  been  just  the  needed  prep- 
aration for  this  field-work,  which  was  little  more 
than  justifying  their  congressional  actions  and 
explaining  them. 

The  great  question  of  the  campaign  was,  "hard 
or  soft  money,"  as  it  was  called.  The  seeds  of 
the  greenback  heresy,  it  will  be  recalled,  had 
been  sown  broadcast  in  Mr.  Garfield's  Western 
Reserve  district  in  Ohio,  and  the  convention  met 
to  renominate  him  had  declared  for  soft  money, 
when  he  was  called  in  for  a  speech.  He  was  a 
hard-money  man,  and  nothing  else,  and  could  not 
stultify  himself.  He  was  begged  by  friends  not 
to  antagonize  the  convention,  but  his  firm  reply 
was,  "  I  shall  not  violate  my  conscience  and  my 
principles  in  this  matter,"  and  so  he  made  it 
known  to  the  convention  without  any  compromise. 
It  was  such  an  exhibition  of  courage,  integrity, 
and  of  all  manly  power,  that  they  nominated  him 
at  once  by  acclamation. 


296  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

Mr.  Elaine  encountered  the  same  heresy,  and 
wrung  its  neck  most  vigorously.  He  was  up  in 
the  art,  as  he  had  just  had  extensive  experience 
in  congress.  But  1868  was  a  presidential  ytar. 
U.  S.  Grant  and  Horatio  Seymour  were  the  can- 
didates. 

One  president  was  being  impeached,  and  another 
being  elected.  Mr.  Elaine  had  done  what  was 
necessary  for  him  in  the  case  of  one,  and  now  was 
doing  what  he  could  for  the  other.  He  had  not 
taken  the  most  advanced  grounds  regarding  the 
impeachment.  He  was  quite  inclined  to  be  con- 
servative ;  and  while  he  did  not  oppose,  neither 
did  he  vehemently  demand  it  at  all  hazards.  It 
was  serious  business,  and  he  viewed  it  with  the 
broad,  comprehensive  mind  of  a  statesman. 

It  was  like  "  tearing  up  the  foundation  of 
things,"  as  he  said.  He  had  a  deep  and  delicate 
sense  of  honor  about  it.  The  president  was  the 
chief  man  of  the  nation,  there  by  the  suffrages 
of  a  great  people.  Results  seem  to  show  that 
all  were  finally  brought  to  Mr.  Elaine's  conclu- 
sions, if  not  to  his  temper  of  mind  upon  the 
subject.  He  simply  did  not  make  any  violent 
speeches  in  its  favor,  as  so  many  did,  but  acted 
effectively  with  his  party  for  the  right.  His 
strength  was  used  in  the  campaign.  He  wanted 
a  new  president  of  the  right  stamp,  and  knew 
that  if  faithful  work  was  done,  they  would  have 


CONGRESSIONAL   CAREER  CONTINUED.         297 


one  in  less  than  a  year.  So  to  this  task  he 
addressed  himself  with  his  accustomed  energies, 
and  not  without  success,  which  had  come  to  be 
almost  a  matter  of  course,  though  hard,  hot 
fights  were  made  against  him. 

General  Grant  received  two  hundred  and  four- 
teen votes  in  the  electoral  college,  to  eighty-four 
for  Mr.  Seymour,  and  again  the  Republican  sky 
was  ablaze  with  great  and  wide-spread  victory. 


XIV. 

SPEAKER    OF    THE    HOUSE    OF    REPRESENT- 
ATIVES   IN    CONGRESS. 


HE  future  had  no  clouds  for  Mr.  Elaine 
as  he  returned  for  the  fourth  time  to 
Washington  as  a  member-elect  to  con- 
gress. He  was  in  manhood's  prime, 
backed  by  a  splendid  record  of  triumph  on  the 
field  of  political  contest,  and  of  achievement  in 
the  arena  of  debate.  He  was  thoroughly  con- 
versant with  the  affairs  of  the  House  in  every 
detail  of  rule  or  measure,  and  was  widely  known 
and  recognized  as  among  the  most  popular  and 
efficient  members.  His  knowledge,  gathered  from 
wide  fields  of  travel,  experience,  and  observation, 
was  vast ;  his  powers  thoroughly  disciplined  and 
under  the  finest  control ;  his  acquaintance  exten- 
sive, and  his  rank  high  in  personal  and  political 
friendships. 

Schuyler  Colfax,  the  former  speaker,  was  vice- 
president  now ;  standing  next  to  General  Grant, 
the  new  president.  Who  should  take  his  place  ? 


SPEAKER   IN   CONGRESS.  299 

This  was  the  question  that  filled  Mr.  Elaine 
with  high  anticipations. 

Granting  his  fitness  and  ability,  which,  per- 
haps, no  one  who  knows  him  at  all  would 
question,  the  still  greater  question  is  how  to  win 
the  prize,  how  to  secure  the  position.  It  is 
purely  a  question  of  votes,  and  the  one  thing 
that  secures  them  is  personal  influence.  It 
may  come  of  the  individual's  own  exertions, 
his  power  to  command,  the  charm  of  his  name, 
the  fascination  of  his  character,  the  magnet- 
ism of  his  person.  But  it  is  a  matter  of  stu- 
pendous strength  and  of  transcendent  abilities 
for  one  to  lift  himself  so  far  above  his  fel- 
lows as  to  win  their  suffrages  in  such  a 
place  as  that,  by  his  own  unaided  personal  at- 
tractions. 

Here  was  the  great  argument,  but  not  the 
active  agent.  There  must  be  some  one  to  state 
the  case,  to  manage  it,  to  make  the  appeal, 
some  one  strong  friend  or  more,  who  has  grit 
and  gumption  to  put  it  through,  and  see  it  done, 
—  that  man  is  Thaddeus  Stevens,  of  his  native 
state  of  Pennsylvania.  He  is  the  one  of  all  oth- 
ers to  do  this  thing. 

Of  few  men's  power  Mr.  Elaine  had  a  loftier 
idea  than  of  Mr.  Thaddeus  Stevens.  There  was 
indeed  a  trio  who  attracted  and  held  the  admi- 
ration of  Mr.  Elaine,  and  he  has  sketched  their 


300 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


characters   most    vividly.      Will   you   hear   him   as 
he   says  :  — 

"The  three  most  distinguished  parliamentary 
leaders  hitherto  developed  in  this  country,  are 
Mr.  Clay,  Mr.  Douglas,  and  Mr.  Thaddeus  Ste- 
vens. They  were  all  men  of  consummate  ability, 
of  great  earnestness,  of  intense  personality,  dif- 
fering widely  each  from  the  others,  and  yet  with 
a  single  trait  in  common,  —  the  power  to  com- 
mand. In  the  give  and  take  of  daily  discussion^ 
in  the  art  of  controlling  and  consolidating  reluc- 
tant and  refractory  followers,  in  the  skill  to 
overcome  all  forms  of  opposition,  and  to  meet 
with  competency  and  courage  the  varying  phases 
of  unlooked-for  assault,  or  unsuspected  defection, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  rank  with  these  a  fourth 
name  in  all  our  congressional  history. 

"  But  of  these  Mr.  Clay  was  the  greatest.  If 
would,  perhaps,  be  impossible  to  find  in  parlia 
mentary  annals,  greater  power  than  when,  iu 
1841,  at  sixty-four  years  of  age,  he  took  the  con- 
trol of  the  Whig  party  from  the  president  who 
had  received  their  suffrages,  against  the  power  of 
Webster  in  the  cabinet,  against  the  eloquence  of 
Choate  in  the  senate,  against  the  herculean  ef- 
forts of  Caleb  dishing  and  Henry  A.  Wise  in 
the  House.  In  unshared  leadership,  in  the  pride 
and  plenitude  of  power,  he  hurled  against  John 
Tyler,  with  deepest  scorn,  the  mass  of  that  con- 


SPEAKER    IN   CONGRESS.  3OI 

quering  column  which  had  swept  over  the  land 
in  1840,  and  drove  his  administration  to  shelter 
behind  the  lines  of  his  political  foes. 

"  Mr.  Douglas  achieved  a  victory  scarcely  less 
wonderful,  when,  in  1854,  against  the  secret  de- 
sires of  a  strong  administration,  against  the  wise 
counsel  of  the  older  chiefs,  against  the  conserv- 
ative instincts  and  even  the  moral  sense  of  the 
country,  he  forced  a  reluctant  congress  into  a 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise. 

"And  now  we  come  to  Mr.  Thaddeus  Stevens, 
who,  in  his  contests  from  1865  to  1868,  actually 
advanced  his  parliamentary  leadership  until  con- 
gress tied  the  hands  of  the  president,  and  gov- 
erned the  country  by  its  own  will,  leaving  only 
perfunctionary  duties  to  be  discharged  by  the  ex- 
ecutive. With  two  hundred  millions  of  patronage 
in  his  hands  at  the  opening  of  the  contest, 
aided  by  the  active  force  of  Seward  in  the  cab- 
inet, and  the  moral  power  of  Chase  on  the  bench, 
Andrew  Johnson  could  not  command  the  support 
of  one-third  in  either  House  against  the  parlia- 
mentary uprising  of  which  Thaddeus  Stevens  was 
the  animating  spirit  and  the  unquestioned  leader." 

And  this  was  the  man  who  stood  at  Mr. 
Elaine's  right  hand  in  this  matter  of  the  speak- 
ership. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  on  the  committee  of  military 
affairs  with  Mr.  Stevens.  He  became  known  to 


302  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

him  thoroughly  as  a  man  with  talent  for  inde- 
fatigable toil,  and  a  genius  for  doing  hard  and 
difficult  things  with  great  certainty  and  despatch. 
He  was  just  the  man  to  attract  the  attention, 
and  be  admired,  respected,  and  loved  by  a  man 
of  Mr.  Stevens'  consummate  ability,  and  to  be 
selected  by  him  for  promotion  and  honor.  And 
the  hour  had  come  for  just  that  honor,  the  high- 
est in  the  gift  of  the  House. 

It  was  the  third  office  in  the  nation,  with  a 
salary  three  thousand  dollars  greater  than  that 
of  United  States  senator,  and  equal  to  the  salary 
of  vice-president  or  secretary  of  state.  And  so 
by  virtue  of  his  recognized  fitness,  and  the  power 
of  this  great  friend,  the  office  comes  to  him,  and 
he  comes  to  it. 

Some  think,  and  perhaps  rightly,  that  his  tilt 
with  Mr.  Conkling  popularized  him  greatly  with 
the  members  of  the  House,  who  thoroughly  en- 
joyed it,  and  so  prepared  the  way  to  the  honor 
which  in  point  of  fact  was  his  by  right  of  na- 
ture. But  six  years  was  a  long  time  to  wait, 
yet  he  waited,  and  was  rewarded.  And  still  it 
was  not  waiting,  but  working,  with  him,  occupy- 
ing the  stronghold  he  had  made  for  himself  in 
the  manifold  business  of  the  House. 

But  now  he  is  taken  from  this,  and  out  of 
the  arena  of  debate,  and  yet  lifted  into  greater 
prominence  and  power ;  appointing  all  the  great 


SPEAKER    IN   CONGRESS.  303 

committees  of  the  House,  a  task  requiring  the 
highest  order  of  ability  in  the  knowledge  of  men ; 
deciding  all  questions,  and  exercising  a  controlling 
influence  over  legislation. 

There  is  little  power  men  employ  in  all  the 
great  work  of  lifer  but  he  needs  it  in  its  rarest 
form.  He  must  be  a  broad,  a  wide,  a  universal 
man;  in  sympathy  with  all,  so  far  as  right  and 
justice  are  concerned.  There  are  the  choice,  the 
crowned  ones  from  every  congressional  district 
in  all  the  states  and  territories,  and  he  is  the 
choice,  the  crowned  one  among  them,  —  their 
chosen  chief. 

Tennyson's  words  press  for  utterance  right 
here,  as  we  see  him  step  from  the  floor  to  the 
speaker's  chair: — 

*  Divinely  gifted  man, 

Whose  life  in  low  estate  began, 
And  on  a  simple  village  green. 

*  Who  breaks  his  birth's  invidious  bar, 

And  grasps  the   skirts   of  happy  chance, 
And  breasts  the  blow  of  circumstance, 
And  grapples  with   his  evil   star. 

*  Who  makes  by  force  his  merit  known, 

And  lives  to  clutch  the  golden  keys, 
To  mould  a  mighty  state's   decrees, 
And  shape  the  whisper   of  the  throne. 

"And  moving  up   from   high  to   higher, 
Becomes   on   Fortune's  crowning  slope 
The  pillar   of  a  people's  hope, 
The   centre   of  a  world's  desire." 


304  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

It  was  only  by  the  proof  of  character,  the 
most  solid  and  reliable,  he  could  possibly  have 
secured  the  friendship  of  Mr.  Stevens.  And  not 
his  alone,  but  the  friendship  of  Hon.  Elihu  B. 
Washburne,  of  Illinois,  who  nominated  Mr.  Blaine 
as  candidate  for  speaker,  and  who,  as  senior 
member,  swore  him  in. 

It  was  a  proud  day  for  Mr.  Washburne,  the 
staunch  friend  of  General  Grant,  to  witness  his 
inaugural,  and  then,  as  the  true  friend  of  Mr. 
Blaine,  aid  so  largely  in  putting  him  into  the 
speaker's  chair  the  same  day. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  not  there  to  enjoy  the  tri- 
umph of  his  friend,  but  his  endorsement  was 
good  as  a  letter  of  credit. 

When  the  ballot  was  concluded  it  read: — 
Whole  number  of  votes  cast,  one  hundred  and 
ninety-two ;  necessary  for  a  choice,  ninety-seven ; 
Mr.  Blaine  received  one  hundred  and  thirty-five; 
Mr.  Kerr  received  fifty-seven. 

Mr.  Dawes  and  Mr.  Kerr  conducted  him  to 
the  chair,  when  he  addressed  the  House  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"GENTLEMEN  OF  THE   HOUSE  OF   REPRESENTATIVES: 

"I  thank  you  profoundly  for  the  great  honor  which 
your  votes  have  just  conferred  upon  me.  The  grati- 
fication which  this  signal  mark  of  your  confidence 
brings  to  me,  finds  its  only  drawback  in  the  diffi- 
dence with  which  I  assume  the  weighty  duties  devolv- 


SPEAKER    IN   CONGRESS.  305 

ing  upon  me.  Succeeding  to  a  chair  made  illustrious 
by  such  eminent  statesmen,  and  skilled  parliamenta- 
rians as  Clay,  and  Stevenson,  and  Polk,  and  Win- 
throp,  and  Banks,  and  Grow,  and  Colfax,  I  may 
well  distrust  my  ability  to  meet  the  just  expectations 
of  those  who  have  shown  me  such  marked  partiality. 
But  relying,  gentlemen,  upon  my  honest  purpose  to 
perform  all  my  duties  faithfully  and  fearlessly,  and 
trusting  in  a  large  measure  to  the  indulgence  which 
I  am  sure  you  will  always  extend  to  me,  I  shall 
hope  to  retain,  as  I  have  secured,  your  confidence, 
your  kindly  regard,  and  your  generous  support. 

"The  forty-first  congress  assembles  at  an  auspicious 
period  in  the  history  of  our  government.  The  splen- 
did and  impressive  ceremonial  which  we  have  just 
witnessed  in  another  part  of  the  capitol  [Grant's  in- 
auguration], appropriately  symbolizes  the  triumphs  of 
the  past,  and  the  hopes  of  the  future,  a  great  chief- 
tain, whose  sword  at  the  head  of  gallant  and  victo- 
rious armies,  saved  the  Republic  from  dismemberment 
and  ruin,  has  been  fitly  called  to  the  highest  civic 
honor  which  a  grateful  people  can  bestow.  Sustained 
by  a  congress  which  so  ably  represents  the  loyalty, 
the  patriotism,  and  the  personal  worth  of  the  nation, 
the  president  this  day  inaugurated  will  assure  to  the 
country  an  administration  of  purity,  fidelity,  and 
prosperity;  an  era  of  liberty  regulated  by  law,  and 
of  law  thoroughly  inspired  with  liberty. 

"Congratulating  you,  gentlemen,  on  the  happy  au- 
guries of  the  day,  and  invoking  the  gracious  bless- 
ings of  Almighty  God  on  the  arduous  and  responsi- 


3O6  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

ble  labors  before  you,  I  am  now  ready  to  take  the 
oath  of  office,  and  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  to  which  you  have  called  me." 

It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  General 
Schenck,  of  Ohio,  who  startled  Mr.  Elaine  with 
the  charge  of  irrelevancy  at  his  first  utterance 
on  the  floor,  but  was  so  utterly  discomfited 
afterwards,  is  now  the  first  one  to  address  him 
as  "  Mr.  Speaker,"  and  Mr.  Kerr,  his  competi- 
tor, soon  follows. 

It  was  at  this  session  that  new  members  from 
reconstructed  states  appeared,  and  many  were 
the  objections  made  to  this  new  member 
and  that,  because  of  disloyalty.  It  was  to  pre- 
sent a  charge  of  this  kind  that  Mr.  Schenck 
arose. 

The  noticeable  feature  of  Mr.  Elaine's  speak- 
ership  is  trie  expeditious  manner  in  which  busi- 
ness is  conducted,  and  the  consequent  brevity 
of  sessions.  , 

It  may  be  observed  right  here  that  Mr. 
Elaine's  friend,  E.  B.  Washburne,  chose  rather 
to  go  as  minister  to  Paris,  and  Hamilton  Fish 
became  secretary  of  state. 

For  two  successive  congresses  Mr.  Elaine  was 
re-elected  speaker  by  the  large  Republican  ma- 
jorities serving  through  the  reconstruction  period 
of  the  rebel  states,  and  through  most  of  Gen- 
eral Grant's  two  terms  of  the  presidency.  It 


SPEAKER    IN   CONGRESS.  307 

was    during    this    period     his     reputation    became 
truly   national. 

He  might  have  occupied  the  chair  all  the 
time,  and  taken  things  easy ;  but  this  was  not 
his  nature.  It  was  his  privilege  to  go  upon  the 
floor,  and  -take  up  the  gauntlet  of  debate.  It 
was  expected  that  things  would  become  lively 
at  once  when  he  did  so.  There  was  a  resolu- 
tion one  day  for  a  committee  to  investigate  the 
outrages  in  the  South.  Mr.  Blaine  had  written 
the  resolution,  which  was  presented  by  his  col- 
league, and  asked  for  its  passage ;  and,  lest  the 
claquers  should  cay  he  put  only  "  weak-kneed 
Republicans "  on  the  committee,  he  made  Benj. 
F.  Butler  chairman,  which  in  some  almost  un- 
accountable way  greatly  enraged  Mr.  Butler,  who 
might  have  then  contemplated  accompanying  Gen. 
John  M.  Palmer  and  others  into  the  Democratic 
party,  and  so  he  telegraphed  to  newspapers  and 
issued  a  circular  which  appeared  on  the  desks 
of  members,  denouncing  what  he  was  pleased  to 
call  a  trick,  and  used  other  vigorous  language 
on  the  floor  of  the  House.  Of  course  the 
speaker  could  not  sit  quietly  in  the  chair  and 
be  thus  tempestuously  assailed,  so  calling  a 
future  vice-president  to  the  chair  (Wheeler),  he 
said,  "I  wish  to  ask  the  gentleman  from  Mas- 
sachusetts whether  he  denies  me  the  right  to 
have  drawn  that  resolution "  (it  was  presented 


308  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

in  the  caucus  first  which  had  just  renomirrated 
Mr.  Blaine  for  speaker). 

Mr.  Butler  replied,  "  I  have  made  no  assertion 
on  that  subject,  one  way  or  other." 

Mr.  Blaine :  "  Did  not  the  gentleman  know 
distinctly  that  I  drew  it  ? " 

"No,   sir!"   was  the   reply. 

"  Did  I  not  take  it  to  the  gentleman  and 
read  it  to  him?" 

"Yes,   sir,"   replied   Mr.    Butler. 

"  Did   I   not   show   him   the   manuscript  ? " 

"Yes,   sir,"   was   the   reply. 

"And  at  his  suggestion,"  continued  Mr.  Blaine, 
"I  added  these  words,  'and  the  expenses  of 
said  committee  shall  be  paid  from  the  contingent 
fund  of  the  House  of  Representatives '  (applause), 
and  the  fact  that  ways  and  means  were  wanted 
to  pay  the  expenses  was  the  only  objection  he 
made  to  it" 

It  appears  that  the  resolution  was  considered 
as  a  test  of  the  Republicanism  of  members. 
General  Butler  had  been  asked  to  take  the 
chairmanship,  but  refused,  and  said  he  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  resolution ;  but  Mr. 
Blaine  put  him  on  the  committee,  and  when 
asked  why,  replied,  "Because  I  knew  very  well 
that  if  I  omitted  the  appointment  of  the 
gentleman  it  would  be  heralded  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  country  by  the 


SPEAKER   IN   CONGRESS.  309 

claguers,  who  have  so  industriously  distributed 
this  letter  this  morning,  that  the  speaker  had 
packed  the  committee,  as  the  gentleman  said  he 
would,  with  *,  weak-kneed  Republicans,  '  who 
would  not  go  into  an  investigation  vigorously, 
as  he  would.  That  was  the  reason  (applause), 
so  that  the  chair  laid  the  responsibility  upon 
the  gentleman  of  declining  the.  appointment,  and 
now  the  gentleman  from  Massachusetts  is  on  his 
responsibility  before  the  country,"  and  there  we 
leave  him. 

It  can  but  be  with  peculiar  interest  that  we 
read  the  strong  words  of  the  oath  taken  so 
repeatedly  by  Mr.  Elaine,  and  administered  the 
second  time  by  Mr.  Dawes,  of  Massachusetts, 
after  he  had  received  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  votes,  to  ninety-two  for  Gen.  George  W.  Mor- 
gan, of  Ohio. 

It  kept  a  large  committee  busy  to  pass  upon 
the  character  of  members-elect  and  the  legality 
of  their  election.  Such  was  the  broken  condition 
of  state  governments  in  the  South,  so  battered 
by  war,  and  distracted  by  schism  and  contending 
factions.  All  of  these  perplexities  adhered  to 
applicants  for  membership  in  congress,  presenting 
credentials  of  membership  various  in  value  as 
greenbacks  and  gold,  and  these  same  perplexities 
affected  the  staple  of  congressional  measures. 

Congress  was  increasing  rapidly  in   the   number 


3IO  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

of  its  members,  so  that  while  one  hundred  and 
ninety-two  votes  were  cast  at  Mr.  Elaine's  first 
election  to  the  speakership  in  1869,  there  were 
two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  votes  cast  at  his 
election  to  the  same  office  in  1873,  of  which 
number  he  received  one  hundred  and  eighty-nine, 
and  Mr.  Ferdinand  Wood  received  seventy-six. 

Mr.  Elaine  refers  to  it  in  his  address  to  the 
"  Gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Representatives," 
the  last  time  he  was  elected  speaker.  "  To  be 
chosen,"  he  says,  "  speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  is  always  an  honorable  distinction ; 
to  be  chosen  a  third  time  enhances  the  honor 
more  than  three  fold ;  to  be  chosen  by  the 
largest  body  that  ever  assembled  in  the  Capitol 
imposes  a  burden  of  responsibility  which  only 
your  indulgent  kindness  could  embolden  me  to 
assume.  The  first  occupant  of  this  chair  presided 
over  a  House  of  sixty-five  members,  representing 
a  population  far  below  the  present  aggregate  of 
the  state  of  New  York.  At  that  time  there 
were  not,  in  the  whole  United  States,  fifty 
thousand  civilized  inhabitants  to  be  found  one 
hundred  miles  distant  from  the  flow  of  the  At- 
lantic tide.  To-day,  gentlemen,  a  large  majority 
of  you  come  from  beyond  that  limit,  and  repre- 
sent districts  peopled  then  only  by  the  Indian 
and  the  adventurous  frontiersman. 

"The    national    government    is    not    yet   as   old 


SPEAKER    IN   CONGRESS.  311 

as  many  of  its  citizens,  but  in  this  brief  span 
of  time,  —  less  than  one  lengthened  life,  —  it  has, 
under  God's  good  providence,  extended  its  power 
until  a  continent  is  the  field  of  its  empire,  and 
attests  the  majesty  of  its  law. 

"With  the  growth  of  new  states  and  the 
resulting  changes  in  the  centres  of  population, 
new  interests  are  developed,  rival  to  the  old,  but 
by  no  means  hostile ;  diverse,  but  not  antago- 
nistic. Nay,  rather  are  all  these  interests  in  har- 
mony, and  the  true  science  of  just  government  is 
to  give  to  each  its  full  and  fair  play,  oppressing 
none  by  undue  exaction,  favoring  none  by  undue 
privilege. 

"It  is  this  great  lesson  which  our  daily  experi- 
ence is  teaching,  binding  us  together  more 
closely,  making  our  mutual  dependence  more 
manifest,  and  causing  us  to  feel  that,  whether 
we  live  in  the  North  or  in  the  South,  in 
the  East  or  in  the  West,  we  have  indeed  but 
'one  country,  one  constitution,  one  destiny.'' 

Few  addresses  so  brief  breathe  a  spirit  of 
broader  statesmanship,  or  loftier  ideal  of  civil 
government.  Two  years  before  this,  in  1871,  he 
had  been  charged  by  General  Butler  with  hav- 
ing presidential  aspirations,  and  surely  he  was 
able  to  manifest  the  true  conception  of  a  just 
and  righteous  government,  "oppressing  none  by 
undue  exaction,  favoring  none  by  undue  priv- 


312  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

ilege,"  which  is  apparently  the  exact  outcome  — 
a  sort  of  paraphrase  of  Lincoln's  words,  "  With 
malice  toward  none,  with  charity  toward  all." 

Many  who  had  participated  in  the  Rebellion, 
having  had  their  political  disabilities  removed 
by  the  vote  of  two-thirds  of  each  House  of  con 
gress,  came  forward  and  took  the  special  oath 
provided  for  them  by  act  of  July  11,  1868. 

Mr.  Elaine  seldom,  if  ever,  leaves  the  chair 
to  participate  in  debate  when  questions  of  a 
political  nature  are  pending,  so  that  he  may 
hold  himself  aloof  for  fair  ruling  in  all  of  his 
decisions. 

The  position  of  speaker  is,  in  many  respects, 
a  thankless  one.  When  party  spirit  runs  high, 
as  it  does  at  times,  like  the  tide  of  battle,  in 
the  great  debates,  men  are  swept  on  by  their 
sympathies,  as  barks  are  tossed  in  ocean-storms, 
and  under  the  influence  of  their  most  powerful 
prejudices  they  are  driven  to  rash  and  unwar- 
rantable conclusions  regarding  the  justice  of  any 
ruling,  to  conjectures  the  most  unfair  and  wan- 
ton regarding  motive,  and  as  in  the  case  of 
Mr.  Elaine,  to  the  most  stupendous  efforts  at 
political  assassination. 

But  it  was  not  until  the  days  of  his  speak- 
ership  were  over,  and  the  people  at  home  had 
expressed  their  confidence  in  him  and  their  love 
and  admiration  for  him,  by  electing  him  to  con- 


SPEAKER   IN  CONGRESS.  313 

grcss  for  the  seventh  time  consecutively,  that 
the  storm  struck  him.  It  had  been  gathering 
long.  Its  animus  was  enmity,  its  bulk  was  hate, 
its  dark,  frowning  exterior  was  streaked  with  the 
lurid  lightnings  of  a  baleful  jealousy ;  muttering 
thunders  like  the  deep  growlings  of  exasperation 
were  heard  oft,  but  feared  not. 

The  solid  South  had  marched  its  rebel  briga- 
diers by  the  score  into  the  arena  of  national 
questioning  and  discussion,  where  for  twelve 
years  he  had  stood  intrepid  as  the  founders  of 
the  Republic.  No  man  was  more  at  home  upon 
that  field  than  he,  —  none  more  familiar  with 
the  men,  the  methods,  and  the  measures  that 
had  triumphed  there,  —  and  few  have  been  more 
victorious  in  the  great  ends  for  which  he  strove, 
few  readier  to  challenge  the  coming  of  any 
man,  to  know  his  rights,  his  mission,  and  his 
weight.  He  was,  of  all  men,  the  most  unconquer- 
able by  those  who  plead  for  measures  subversive 
of  any  great  or  minor  end  for  which  the  war 
was  fought. 

He  had  gained  the  credit  of  the  fourteenth 
amendment,  and  had  been  .identified  with  all. 
He  was  simply  bent  upon  resistance,  the  most 
powerful  he  could  Qommand,  against  all  encroach- 
ments of  the  bad  and  false,  and  to  show  no  favor 
toward  any  feature  for  which  rebellion  fought. 
Fair,  honorable,  just,  —  none  could  be  more  so. 


314  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

When  speaker  of  the  House,  he  was  informed 
one  day  that  a  prominent  correspondent  of  a 
leading  paper,  who  had  maligned  and  vilified 
him  shockingly,  was  on  the  floor,  and  at  once 
he  said,  "Invite  him  up  here,"  and  he  gave 
him  a  seat  by  his  side,  within  the  speaker's 
desk,  and  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  man  the 
information  of  public  importance  at  his  command. 
The  fellow  was  amazed,  and  went  away  and 
wrote  how  kindly  he  had  been  treated  by  the 
great-hearted  man  of  noble  impulses,  after  he 
had  so  roundly  abused  him. 

There  is  nothing  vindictive  about  him,  noth- 
ing despicable.  He  is  severe,  herculean,  desper- 
ate for  the  right,  and  will  win  in  every  battle 
that  commands  the  forces  of  his  being,  if  victory 
be  achievable.  But  he  honors  strong,  square 
men,  who  have  convictions  and  dare  proclaim 
them;  but  petty,  mean,  ignoble  souls  are  first 
despised,  then  pitied. 

But  the  day  of  his  betrayal  came,  the  day  of 
rebel  wrath ;  and  he  met  the  stroke  before  the 
nation's  gaze,  and  was  vindicated  before  the 
world. 

A  business  correspondence,  it  had  been  said  he 
had  burned.  He  said,  "No,  there  it  is,  and  I 
will  read  it  to  the  House,"  and  he  read  it. 
What  business  firm,  it  has  been  asked,  would 
like  to  have  their  correspondence  regarding  any 


SPEAKER   IN  CONGRESS.  31$ 

great  business  interest,  read  to  those  who  are 
filled  with  all  manner  of  suspicions,  and  so  have 
it  misjudged,  misinterpreted,  and  misapplied? 
And  then,  to  show  the  temper  of  those  with 
whom  he  dealt,  a  cablegram  from  Europe  vindi- 
cating him,  was  for  two  days  suppressed  by  the 
chairman  of  the  congressional  committee,  before 
whom  he  stood,  and  who  failed  to  convict  him 
by  any  document  at  their  command.  The  scene 
at  that  time,  and  their  discomfiture,  is  thus  de- 
scribed by  an  eye-witness:  — 

"  His  management  of  his  own  case  when  the 
Mulligan  letters  came  out  was  worthy  of  any 
general  who  ever  set  a  squadron  in  the  field. 
For  nearly  fifteen  years  I  have  looked  down 
from  the  galleries  of  the  House  and  Senate,  and 
I  never  saw,  and  never  expect  to  see,  and 
never  have  read  of  such  a  scene,  where  the 
grandeur  of  human  effort  was  better  illustrated, 
than  when  this  great  orator  rushed  down  the 
aisle,  and,  in  the  very  face  of  Proctor  Knott, 
charged  him  with  suppressing  a  telegram  favor- 
able to  Elaine.  The  whole  floor  and  all  the 
galleries  were  wild  with  excitement.  Men  yelled 
and  cheered,  women  waved  their  handkerchiefs 
and  went  off  into  hysterics,  and  the  floor  was 
little  less  than  a  mob." 

About  this  time,  Hon.  Lot  M.  Morrill,  of  his 
state,  was  transferred  from  the  senate  to  the 


3*6  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

cabinet  of  President  Grant,  and  as  a  partial 
justification,  General  Connor,  the  governor  of 
Maine  at  this  time,  appointed  him  to  represent 
Maine  in  the  United  States  senate  in  place  of 
Mr.  Morrill.  The  official  note  was  as  follows :  — 

"AUGUSTA,    Maine,   July   9,    1876. 

"To   HON.    MILTON    SAYLOR,   Speaker    of  the  House  of 
Representatives,    Washington,  D.  C.: 

"Having  tendered  to  the  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine 
the  appointment  of  senator  in  congress,  he  has  placed 
in  my  hands  his  resignation  as  representative  from 
the  third  district  of  Maine,  to  take  effect  Monday, 

July   10,    1876. 

"SELDEN   CONNOR, 

"  Governor  of  Maine" 

When  the  legislature  of  his  state  met,  he  came 
before  them  and  placed  himself  under  a  thorough 
investigation  at  their  hands.  And  as  Ex-Gov.  A. 
P.  Morrill  says,  "They  made  thorough  work  of 
it."  A  man  to  come  forth  from  such  an  ordeal 
unscathed,  and  without  the  smell  of  fire  on  his 
garments,  must  be  right  and  not  wrong, — or  else 
he  is  the  veriest  scoundrel,  guilty,  deeply  so,  and 
competent  for  bribes,  and  they,  the  legislature  of 
Maine,  who  virtually  tried  him,  hopelessly  corrupt. 
But,  no !  this  cannot  be ;  and  so  he  was  vindi- 
cated, and  triumphantly  elected  by  them  to  the 
highest  trust  within  their  gift,  to  wear  the  hon- 
ors of  a  Morrill  and  a  Fesscnden. 


SPEAKER    IN   CONGRESS. 


And  yet  again  do  they  elect  him  for  a  full 
term  of  years.  And  then  the  royal  Garfield,  the 
nation's  loved  and  honored  president,  knowing 
all,  and  knowing  him  most  intimately  for  seven- 
teen years  or  more,  takes  him  into  his  cabinet, 
trustingly,  and  for  the  nation's  good. 

Can  victory  be  grander,  or  triumph  more  com- 
plete, endorsement  more  honorable,  or  vindication 
more  just,  or  a  verdict  be  more  patient,  thor- 
ough, or  exhaustive  of  evidence  !  What  man  in 
all  the  land,  traduced  and  vilified  just  as  Wash- 
ington, Lincoln,  and  Garfield  were,  wears  prouder 
badges  of  endorsement  from  congress,  governor, 
legislature,  senate,  and  conventions  by  the  score  ! 
What  man  that  bears  credentials  of  his  charac- 
ter as  trophies  of  higher  worth,  from  judges  of 
sounder  mind,  and  lives  more  unimpeachable  ? 
Answer,  ye  who  can  ! 


XV. 


UNITED   STATES   SENATOR. 


JT  was  generally  understood  in  Maine 
that  the  Hon.  Lot  M.  Morrill  was 
serving  his  last  term  in  the  United 
States  senate,  and  that  Mr.  Elaine 
was  to  be  his  successor;  so  that  when  "Mr.  Mor- 
rill was  advanced  to  the  secretaryship  of  the 
treasury  in  General  Grant's  cabinet,  it  occasioned 
no  surprise  that  Governor  Connor  appointed  Mr. 
Elaine  to  the  senate  in  his  stead.  He  was 
just  recovering  from  the  partial  sun-stroke  which 
felled  him  to  the  pavement  while  on  his  way 
to  church,  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  with  Miss 
Abigail  Dodge  (Gail  Hamilton),  just  prior  to  the 
Cincinnati  Convention,  and  soon  after  his  victory 
over  Proctor  Knott,  during  his  persecution  in 
the  House.  Next  to  the  nomination  at  Cincin- 
nati, nothing  of  a  political  nature  could  have 
been  more  grateful  to  him  than  this  high  honor 
from  the  governor  of  his  state,  in  accordance, 
as  the  governor  himself  says,  with  the  expecta- 
tion of  the  people.  Coming,  as  it  did,  at  an  ill 


UNITED    STATES  SENATOR. 


and  weary  time,  it  must  have  greatly  refreshed 
and  revived  his  spirits,  to  have  new  and  larger 
evidence  of  the  esteem  and  endorsement  of  those 
to  whose  interests  his  life  was  devoted. 

On  July  12,  1876,  he  took  his  seat  as  the 
colleague  of  Hannibal  Hamlin  in  the  senate.  He 
is  placed  at  once  as  chairman  on  the  committee 
on  rules,  and  on  the  committee  on  appropria- 
tions, and  on  naval  affairs,  besides  on  a  select 
committee  "on  the  levees  on  the  Mississippi 
River."  This,  for  a  senatorial  start,  was  quite 
honorable  to  his  judgment  and  ability. 

There  are  many  old  traditions  and  customs, 
which  amount  to  laws,  so  far  as  assigning  posi- 
tions of  responsibility  to  new  members  is  con- 
cerned, but  there  is  no  law  which  prevents  a 
new  member  from  taking  the  most  advanced 
position  possible  by  virtue  of  his  wisdom  and 
knowledge,  and  his  ability  in  debate. 

He  could  not  well  become  entangled  in  the 
meshes  of  an  intricate  network  of  rules  and 
regulations,  which  Butler,  in  acknowledging  Mr. 
Elaine's  superior  knowledge  of  in  the  House, 
had  said  he  knew  nothing  about,  —  Elaine  knew 
it  all.  His  position  made  it  necessary  that  he 
should,  and  now  he  was  made  chief  in  this  de- 
partment in  the  new  branch  of  legislation  to 
which  he  had  succeeded.  So  he  could  not  be 
held  or  hampered  by  any  difficulty  of  this  kind. 


32O    '  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

Moreover,  his  acquaintance  was  well-nigh  uni- 
versal among  the  members,  and  some  of  them 
knew  him  a  little  better  than  they  could  have 
wished.  He  was  also  familiar  with  the  methods 
and  measures  of  the  senate,  having  frequently 
been  on  joint  committees  with  them  during  his 
early  terms  of  service  in  the  lower  House,  and 
then  the  general  subjects  of  appropriations,  na- 
val, military,  judiciary,  manufactures,  commerce, 
foreign  affairs,  finance,  pension  affairs,  etc.,  these 
were  the  subjects  with  which  he  was  accustomed 
to  deal  during  all  of  his  years  in  congress. 

He  was  at  home,  and  coming  into  the  senate 
on  the  wave  of  popular  excitement,  which  was 
of  the  same  broad  and  sweeping  character  that 
surrounded  Henry  Clay,  and  which  came  so 
near  giving  him  the  nomination  for  the  presi- 
dency then,  he  was  not  only  at  home  in  all 
his  feelings  of  political  association  and  public 
duty,  but  exceedingly  prominent  as  well, — the 
one  man  of  worth  above  all  others,  though  the 
last  to  enter  there. 

He  had  no  need  to  take  front  rank ;  he  was 
there  already,  and  gave  himself  to  his  work, 
not  as  a  defeated  man,  —  they  had  played  but 
one  inning  then,  —  but  as  a  victor,  enjoying  his 
promotion  well,  from  the  lower  to  the  upper 
house  of  congress.  He  was  nearing  the  goal, 
taking  the  honors  by  the  way,  just  as  Garficld 


UNITED    STATES   SENATOR. 


did,  but  unlike  him,  tarrying  in  the  senate  to 
enjoy  them.  It  was  a  good  place  to  be;  grand 
enough  to  command  the  lives,  in  all  their  rich- 
ness and  maturity,  of  Sumner,  Webster,  Choate, 
of  Hamlin,  Fessenden,  and  Clay,  of  Wilson, 
Edmunds,  Davves,  and  galaxies  by  the  score, 
representing  every  state  in  the  Union.  Great 
lights  from  every  department  of  life  shone  there: 
scholars,  teachers,  authors,  successful  generals  ; 
culture,  refinement,  and  every  excellence. 

Mr.  Elaine  brought  with  him  from  the  House, 
his  old  spirit  of  freeness,  and  general  adaptability 
and  service.  He  had  not  come  in  to  rest,  be 
shelved,  or  fossilized.  His  old  habit  of  thor- 
oughness was  on  him  still  ;  he  was  not  the  man 
to  change  at  six  and  forty  years  of  age.  He 
must  still  touch  top,  bottom,  and  sides  of  every 
question  with  which  he  dealt,  and  so  he  did. 

He  loved  the:  truths  of  history,  and  took 
them  whole,  entire,  lacking  nothing,  and  not  in  a 
garbled  form.  This  of  course  caused  facts  and 
figures  to  strike  with  telling  power  upon  many 
a  man's  coat  of  mail,  or  cause  the  shield  to 
tremble  with  the  power  of  his  stroke.  But  he 
was  there  without  apology,  to  do  the  strong, 
decisive  work  which  marked  the  history  of  his 
life.  He  loved  the  state  of  his  adoption,  and 
the  time  had  come  when  the  pride  of  her  glory 
should  appear. 


3 22  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

The  old  House  of  Representatives  had  been 
devoted,  as  a  gallery  of  art,  to  portraits  and 
statues  of  the  great  men  of  the  nation.  Two 
were  to  be  selected  by  each  state  from  the 
record  of  their  leading  men. 

The  statue  of  William  King,  the  first  governor 
of  Maine,  in  1820  and  1821,  was  presented  with 
speeches  in  the  senate  by  both  Mr.  Hamlin  and 
Mr.  Elaine.  In  reciting  briefly  the  history  of 
Mr.  King,  Mr.  Elaine  relied  wholly  upon  Massa- 
chusetts authority,  and  he  added,  "To  have  given 
anything  like  a  sketch  of  Governor  King's  life 
without  giving  his  conflict  with  Massachusetts, 
touching  the  separation  of  Maine  and  her  erec- 
tion into  an  independent  state,  would  have  been 
like  writing  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  with- 
out mentioning  the  great  Rebellion,  which,  as 
president  of  the  United  States,  he  was  so  largely 
instrumental  in  suppressing." 

These  words  he  uttered  in  vindication  of  him- 
self from  certain  restrictions  placed  upon  him, 
and  he  closed  by  saying  "that  he  notified  the 
senators  from  Massachusetts  that  he  should  feel 
compelled  to  narrate  those  portions  of  Mr. 
King's  history  that  brought  him  in  conflict  with 
the  parent  state." 

In  less  than  a  month  after  the  statue  of 
Governor  King  was  placed  in  the  national  gal- 
lery, by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  senate,  Mr. 


UNITED    STATES    SENATOR.  323 

Elaine  was  before  that  body  with  a  speech  of 
his  usual  force  and  energy,  upon  the  absorbing 
question  of  hard  money.  The  subject  had  been 
discussed  in  the  House,  and  their  action  sent 
to  the  senate,  and  Mr.  Elaine  had  offered  a 
substitute  for  their  bill,  which  contained  three 
very  simple  provisions,  as  he  said,  viz. :  — 

1.  "That    the    dollar    shall    contain    four    hun- 
dred  and    twenty-five   grains    of     standard     silver, 
shall   have   unlimited    coinage,    and    be    an   unlim- 
ited  legal   tender. 

2.  "That    all    the    profits   of    coinage   shall   go 
to   the    government,   and    not   to   the    operator   in 
silver   bullion. 

3.  "That     silver     dollars     or     silver     bullion, 
assayed     and     mint-stamped,     may     be     deposited 
with    the    assistant    treasurer    at    New   York,   for 
which    coin-certificates    may   be    issued,   the    same 
in     denomination     us     United     States    notes,    not 
below    ten    dollars,   and    that    these    shall    be    re- 
deemable   on    demand    in    coin    or    bullion,    thus 
furnishing  a  paper-circulation    based  on  an    actual 
deposit    of    precious    metal,    giving    us    notes    as 
valuable   as   those   of   the   Bank    of    England    and 
doing  away   at   once   with   the    dreaded    inconven- 
ience  of  silver   on   account    of  bulk   and   weight." 

He  cites  an  exclusively  gold  nation  like  Eng- 
land, which,  while  it  may  have  some  massive 
fortunes,  shows  also  the  most  hopeless  and 


324  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

helpless  poverty  in  the  humblest  walks  of  life. 
But  France,  a  gold-and-silver  nation,  while  it  can 
exhibit  no  such  fortunes  as  England  boasts, 
presents  "a  people  who,  with  silver  savings,  can 
pay  a  war  indemnity  that  would  have  beggared 
the  gold-bankers  of  London,  and  to  which  the 
peasantry  of  England  could  not  have  contributed 
a  pound  sterling  in  gold,  nor  a  single  shilling 
in  silver." 

Mr.  Elaine's  sense  of  justice,  and  national 
honor,  and  national  pride  were  injured  by  making 
a  dollar  which,  in  effect,  was  not  a  dollar, — was 
not  worth  a  hundred  cents. 

"Consider,  further,"  he  says,  "what  injustice 
would  be  done  to  every  holder  of  a  legal-tender 
or  national-bank  note.  That  vast  volume  of  pa- 
per money — over  seven  hundred  millions  of  dol- 
lars— is  now  worth  between  ninety-eight  and 
ninety-nine  cents  on  the  dollar  in  gold  coin. 
The  holders  of  it,  who  are  indeed  our  entire 
population,  from  the  poorest  to  the  wealthiest, 
have  been  promised,  from  the  hour  of  its  issue, 
that  the  paper-money  would  one  day  be  as 
good  as  gold.  To  pay  silver  for  the  greenback 
is  a  full  compliance  with  this  promise  and  this 
obligation,  provided  the  silver  is  made  as  it 
always  has  been  hitherto,  as  good  as  gold.  To 
make  our  silver  coin  even  three  per  cent,  less 
valuable  than  gold,  inflicts  at  once  a  loss  of 


UNITED    STATES   SENATOR.  325 

more  than  twenty  millions  of  dollars  on  the 
holders  of  our  paper-money.  To  make  a  silver 
dollar  worth  but  ninety-two  cents,  precipitates 
on  the  same  class  a  loss  of  well-nigh  sixty  mil- 
lions of  dollars.  For  whatever  the  value  of  the 
silver  dollar  is,  the  whole  paper  issue  of  the 
country  will  sink  to  its  standard  when  its  coin- 
age is  authorized  and  its  circulation  becomes 
general  in  the  channels  of  trade. 

"Some  one  in  conversation  with  Commodore 
Vanderbilt  during  one  of  the  many  freight  com- 
petitions of  the  trunk  lines,  said,  'Why,  the 
Canadian  road  has  not  sufficient  carrying  capac- 
ity to  compete  with  your  great  line ! ' 

'"That  is  true,'  replied  the  Commodore,  'but 
they  can  fix  a  rate  and  force  us  down  to  it.' 

"Were  congress  to  pass  a  law  to-day,  declar- 
ing that  every  legal-tender  note  and  every  na- 
tional-bank note  shall  hereafter  pass  for  only 
ninety-six  or  ninety-seven  cents  on  the  dollar, 
there  is  not  a  constituency  in  the  United  States 
that  would  re-elect  a  man  that  should  support 
it,  and  in  many  districts  the  representative 
would  be  lucky  if  he  escaped  with  merely  a 
minority  vote." 

Mr.  Elaine's  sympathies  in  this  discussion  were 
with  the  people,  and  although  he  had  passed 
out  of  that  popular  branch  of  congress,  as  it  is 
called,  most  nearly  connected  with  them,  he 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


could  not  in  any  sense  be  divorced  from  them, 
and  so,  although  before  men  of  great  wealth, 
his  plea  was  for  the  laboring  class,  —  for  those 
who  made  the  country  strong  and  rich,  —  and  so 
in  continuing  his  speech  he  pleaded  for  them  ;  and 
it  will  bring  them  nearer  to  him  to-day  to 
recall  his  strong  and  earnest  words,  which,  even 
in  the  staid  and  formal  senate,  with  its  infinite 
courtesies  and  conservative  venerations,  has  a 
heart  to  smile,  and  good  cheer  sufficient  to 
applaud,  as  they  did  this  close  of  his  hard-money 
speech.  These  were  his  final  utterances:  — 

"The  effect  of  paying  the  labor  of  this  coun- 
try in  silver  coin  of  full  value,  as  compared 
with  irredeemable  paper,  —  or  as  compared,  even, 
with  silver  of  inferior  value,  —  will  make  itself 
felt  in  a  single  generation  to  the  extent  of  tens 
of  millions  —  perhaps  hundreds  of  millions  —  in 
the  aggregate  savings  which  represent  consoli- 
dated capital.  It  is  the  instinct  of  man  from 
the  savage  to  the  scholar  —  developed  in  child- 
hood, and  remaining  with  age  —  to  value  the 
metals  which  in  all  tongues  are  called  precious. 

"Excessive  paper-money  leads  to  extravagance, 
to  waste,  and  to  want,  as  we  painfully  witness 
on  all  sides  to-day.  And  in  the  midst  of  the 
proof  of  its  demoralizing  and  destructive  effect, 
we  hear  it  proclaimed  in  the  halls  of  congress, 
that  'the  people  demand  cheap  money.'  I  deny 


UNITED    STATES   SENATOR.  327 

it.  I  declare  such  a  phrase  to  be  a  total  mis- 
apprehension—  a  total  misinterpretation  of  the 
popular  wish.  The  people  do  not  demand  cheap 
money.  They  demand  an  abundance  of  good 
money,  which  is  an  entirely  different  thing. 
They  do  not  want  a  single  gold  standard  that 
will  exclude  silver,  and  benefit  those  already 
rich.  They  do  not  want  an  inferior  silver  stan- 
dard that  will  drive  out  gold,  and  not  help  those 
already  poor.  They  want  both  metals,  in  full 
value,  in  equal  honor,  in  whatever  abundance 
the  bountiful  earth  will  yield  them  t'o  the 
searching  eye  of  science,  and  to  the  hard  hand 
of  labor. 

"  The  two  metals  have  existed  side  by  side 
in  harmonious,  honorable  companionship,  as  money, 
ever  since  intelligent  trade  was  known  among 
men.  It  is  well-nigh  forty  centuries  since  'Abra- 
ham weighed  to  Ephron  the  silver  which  he 
had  named  in  the  audience  of  the  sons  of  Heth 
— four  hundred  shekels  of  silver — current  money 
with  the  merchant.'  Since  that  time  nations 
have  risen  and  fallen,  races  have  disappeared, 
dialects  and  languages  have  been  forgotten,  arts 
have  been  lost,  treasures  have  perished,  conti- 
nents have  been  discovered,  islands  have  been 
sunk  in  the  sea,  and  through  all  these  ages, 
and  through  all  these  changes,  silver  and  gold 
have  reigned  supreme  as  the  representatives  of 


328  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

value — as  the  media  of  exchange.  The  dethrone- 
ment of  each  has  been  attempted  in  turn,  and 
sometimes  the  dethronement  of  both ;  but  always 
in  vain !  And  we  are  here  to-day,  deliberating 
anew  over  the  problem  which  comes  down  to 
us  from  Abraham's  time — -the  weight  of  the  sil- 
ver that  shall  be  'current  money  with  the  mer- 
chant.' " 

As  Mr.  Blaine  resumed  his  seat,  it  is  said, 
in  brackets,  there  was  protracted  applause ;  and 
so  much  was  there  that  the  vice-president,  Wil-; 
liam  A.  Wheeler,  of  New  York,  felt  compelled 
to  say,  "  Order !  The  chair  assuming  that  the 
galleries  are  ignorant  of  the  laws  of  the  senate, 
gives  notice  that  if  applause  is  repeated  they 
will  be  promptly  cleared." 

This  cannot  fail  to  suggest  the  fact  beyond  a 
doubt,  that  he  had  lost  none  of  his  old-time 
fervor,  and  that  he  proposed  to  allow  no  right 
of  the  people  to  slip  from  them,  so  long  as 
he  held  place  and  power  in  their  interest,  and 
had  a  voice  to  lift  in  their  defence. 

The  great  business  of  congress  is  done  by 
committees,  as  is  well  known,  and  their  reports 
are  discussed,  amended,  and  acted  upon,  endorsed 
or  rejected. 

Mr.  Elaine's  committee  on  appropriations  was 
one  of  the  most  difficult.  Demands  are  almost 
innumerable,  and  to  act  intelligently  requires  a 


UNITED    STATES   SENATOR.  32Q 

large  knowledge  of  every  department  of  the 
government  ;  of  the  military,  the  great  postal 
lines  and  offices,  and  the  new  ones  being  built, 
custom-houses,  forts,  arsenals,  navy-yards,  etc.  ; 
and  this  work  must  be  done  by  the  committees, 
working  not  early,  but  late. 

He  was  specially  fitted  for  the  committee  on 
naval  affairs,  as  he  had  gone  over  the  whole 
question  of  ship-building  and  shipping  while  in 
the  House. 

We  find  him  actuated  by  the  same  feelings 
of  humanity  and  carefulness,  as  actuated  him 
years  before,  but  now  more  conspicuously,  be- 
cause in  a  larger,  loftier  sphere. 

He  presents  bills  for  the  relief  of  the  m  fami- 
lies of  those  who  perished  on  the  United  States 
dredge-boat  "McAlister";  to  enlarge  the  power 
and  duties  of  the  board  of  health  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia ;  to  amend  the  Pacific  Rail- 
road act  by  creating  a  sinking-fund.  He  moved 
to  investigate  charges  against  Senator  M.  C. 
Butler,  of  South  Carolina. 

We  find  Mr.  Elaine  showing  an  appreciation 
for  that  old  soldier  of  the  Republic,  in  the 
Mexican  war  and  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
Hon.  James  Shields,  of  Missouri,  by  presenting 
a  bill  to  make  him  a  major-general.  General 
Shields  had  a  bullet  through  his  body  in  Mexico, 
at  Buena  Vista,  and  a  silk  handkerchief  drawn 


33°  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

through  his  body  in  the  track  of  the  wound, 
and  now  he  is  honored  as  an  old  man ;  but  he 
does  not  live  long  to  enjoy  it.  He  was  a  har- 
dy, heroic,  faithful  man  and  soldier,  and  worthy 
of  the  repeated  honors  conferred  upon  him  by 
his  state  and  by  the  nation.  It  was  a  generous 
impulse  of  a  kindly  heart  that  prompted  this 
honor  in  the  senate  for  the  aged  soldier. 

The  bureau  of  engraving  and  printing  was 
remembered  by  him  in  a  bill  to  provide  that 
department  with  a  fire-proof  building. 

When  the  bill  was  before  the  senate  to  pen- 
sion the  soldiers  of  the  Mexican  war,  Mr.  Hoar 
offered  a  resolution  by  way  of  amendment : 
"  Provided,  further,  that  no  pension  shall  ever 
be  paid  under  this  act  to  Jefferson  Davis,  the 
late  president  of  the  so-called  Confederacy." 
Twenty-two  were  found  to  vote  against  it.  The 
discussion  grew  now  almost  intolerable.  Nearly 
every  rebel  sympathizer  from  the  South  spoke 
against  it ;  among  them  were  Garland,  Bailey, 
Maxey,  Thurman,  Gordon,  Lamar,  Morgan,  Coke. 
Strong  hearts  were  stirred  against  their  utter- 
ances, and  strong  words  uttered  for  the  Union 
cause. 

"  There  is  no  parallel  to  the  magnanimity  of 
our  government,"  said  Mr.  Blaine,  in  reply  to 
Lamar's  charge  of  intolerance.  "  Not  one  single 
execution,  not  one  single  confiscation ;  at  the 


UNITED    STATES   SENATOR.  331 


outside  only  fourteen  thousand  out  of  millions 
put  under  disfranchisement,  and  all  of  them  re- 
leased, and  all  of  them  invited  to  come  to  the 
common  board,  fraternally  and  patriotically,  with 
the  rest  of  us,  and  share  a  common  destiny 
for  weal  or  for  woe  in  the  future.  I  tell  the 
honorable  gentleman  it  does  not  become  him, 
or  any  Southern  man,  to  speak  of  intolerance 
on  the  part  of  the  national  government ;  rather, 
if  he  speak  of  it  at  all,  he  should  allude  to  its 
magnanimity  and  its  grandeur." 

The  great  boldness  with  which  Mr.  Elaine 
stood  up  against  the  usurpations  of  the  solid 
South  is  a  lasting  honor  to  him.  He  desired 
to  place  on  record,  in  a  definite  and  authentic 
form,  the  frauds  and  outrages  by  which  some 
recent  elections  were  carried  by  the  Democratic 
party  in  the  Southern  states,  and  to  find  if 
there  be  any  method  to  prevent  a  repetition  of 
those  crimes  against  a  free  ballot.  One  hun- 
dred and  six  representatives  had  been  elected 
recently  in  the  South,  and  only  four  or  five  of 
them  Republicans,  and  thirty-five  of  the  whole 
number  had  been  assigned  to  the  South,  he 
said,  "  by  reason  of  the  colored  people."  In 
South  Carolina,  he  speaks  of  "  a  series  of  skir- 
mishes over  the  state,  in  which  the  polling 
places  were  regarded  as  forts,  to  be  captured 
by  one  party  and  held  against  the  other,  so 


332  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

that  there  was  no  election  in  any  proper  sense." 
The  information  came  from  a  non-partisan  press, 
and  without  contradiction  so  far  as  he  had 
seen. 

This   was   his   resolution   in   the   senate  :  — 

"Resolved,  That  the  committee  on  the  judiciary  be 
instructed  to  inquire  and  report  to  the  senate,  whether 
at  the  recent  elections  the  constitutional  rights  of 
American  citizens  were  violated  in  any  of  the  states 
of  the  Union ;  whether  the  right  of  suffrage  cf  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States,  or  of  any  class  of  such 
citizens,  was  denied  or  abridged  by  the  action  of  the 
election-officers  of  any  state  in  refusing  to  receive 
their  votes,  in  failing  to  count  them,  or  in  receiving 
and  counting  fraudulent  ballots  in  pursuance  of  a  con- 
spiracy to  make  the  lawful  votes  of  such  citizens  of 
non  effect ;  and  whether  such  citizens  were  prevented 
from  exercising  the  elective  franchise,  or  forced  to  use 
it  against  their  wishes,  by  violence  or  threats,  or 
hostile  demonstrations  of  armed  men  or  other  organ- 
izations, or  by  any  other  unlawful  means  or  practices. 

"Resolved,  That  the  committee  on  the  judiciary  be 
further  instructed  to  inquire  and  report  whether  it  is 
within  the  competency  of  congress  to  provide  by  ad- 
ditional legislation  for  the  more  perfect  security  of 
the  right  of  suffrage  to  citizens  of  the  United  States 
in  all  the  states  of  the  Union. 

"Resolved,  That  in  prosecuting  these  inquiries  the 
judiciary  committee  shall  have  the  right  to  send  for 
persons  and  papers." 


UNITED    STATES   SENATOR.  333 

The  negro  had  become  practically  disfranchised; 
the  true  end  of  the  war  in  his  rightful  liberty 
as  a  freeman,  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term, 
was  concerned ;  and  the  acts  of  government  in 
making  him  a  citizen,  and  his  representation  in 
congress  according  to  the  new  allotment  of 
thirty-five  representatives  for  the  colored  popula- 
tion; — all  these  ends  had  been  subverted,  these 
rights  abrogated,  and  the  constitution,  in  its 
most  sacred  and  dearly-bought  amendments,  vio- 
lently ignored,  and  men  were  there  with  perjury 
on  their  lips  and  treason  in  their  hearts,  who 
had  countenanced  and  upheld  all  of  this. 

"Let  me  illustrate,"  Mr.  Elaine  says,  "by  com- 
paring groups  of  states  of  the  same  representative 
strength  North  and  South.  Take  the  states  of 
South  Carolina,  Mississippi,  and  Louisiana.  They 
send  seventeen  representatives  to  congress.  Their 
aggregate  population  is  composed  of  ten  hundred 
and  thirty-five  thousand  whites  and  twelve  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  thousand  colored ;  the  col- 
ored being  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  in 
excess  of  the  whites.  Of  the  seventeen  repre- 
sentatives, then,  it  is  evident  that  nine  were 
apportioned  to  these  states  by  reason  of  their 
colored  population,  and  only  eight  by  reason  of 
their  white  population  ;  and  yet  in  the  choice  of 
the  entire  seventeen  representatives,  the  colored 
voters  had  no  more  voice  or  power  than  their 


334  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

remote  kindred  on  the  shores  of  Senegambia  or 
on  the  Gold  Coast.  The  ten  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  thousand  white  people  had  the  sole  and  ab- 
solute choice  of  the  entire  seventeen  representa- 
tives. 

"  In  contrast,  take  two  states  in  the  North, 
Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  with  seventeen  representa- 
tives. They  have  a  white  population  of  two 
million  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand, — • 
considerably  more  than  double  the  entire  white 
population  of  the  three  Southern  states  I  have 
named.  In  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  therefore,  it 
takes  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  thousand  white 
population  to  send  a  representative  to  congress, 
but  in  South  Carolina,  Mississippi,  and  Louisiana 
every  sixty  thousand  white  people  send  a  repre- 
sentative. In  other  words,  sixty  thousand  white 
people  in  those  Southern  states  have  precisely 
the  same  political  power  in  the  government  of 
the  country  that  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
thousand  white  people  have  in  Iowa  and  Wis- 
consin." 

And  it  is  because  this  state  of  things  contin- 
ues and  has  threatened  every  presidential  elec- 
tion since  then,  that  the  brave  deed  of  standing 
in  the  presence  of  the  perpetrators  of  the 
wrong,  and  unmasking  its  hideous  mien,  is  still 
all  the  more  worthy  of  notice,  and  demands  an 
increased  interest ;  and  so  we  venture  to  give 


UNITED    STATES   SENATOR.  335 


another  sample  of  his  old  Plutarch  method  of 
contrast  and  comparison ;  the  last  few  sentences 
of  the  speech,  constituting  as  they  did  his  per- 
oration, and  being  so  pointed,  personal,  and  tri- 
umphant in  tone  and  manner,  revealing  the  man 
so  clearly  and  forcibly,  that  we  close  our  refer- 
ence to  the  speech  with  them,  and  giving  a 
summary  of  argument  and  powerful,  homeward 
putting  of  truth,  worthy  of  the  honor  of  the 
great  cause  he  pleaded,  worthy  of  the  dignity  of 
the  high  place  in  which  he  spoke,  and  worthy  of 
himself  :  — 

"Within  that  entire  great  organization  there 
is  not  one  man,  whose  opinion  is  entitled  to  be 
quoted,  that  does  not  desire  peace  and  harmony 
and  friendship,  and  a  patriotic  and  fraternal  union, 
between  the  North  and  the  South.  This  wish 
is  spontaneous,  instinctive,  universal  throughout 
the  Northern  states  ;  and  yet,  among  men  of 
character  and  sense,  there  is  surely  no  need  of 
attempting  to  deceive  ourselves  as  to  the  pre- 
cise truth.  First  pure,  then  peaceable.  Gush 
will  not  remove  a  grievance,  and  no  disguise  of 
state  rights  will  close  the  eyes  of  our  people 
to  the  necessity  of  correcting  a  great  national 
wrong.  Nor  should  the  South  make  the  fatal 
mistake  of  concluding  that  injustice  to  the 
negro  is  not  also  injustice  to  the  white 
man ;  nor  should  it  ever  be  forgotten,  that 


336  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


for  the   wrongs   of   both   a   remedy   will   assuredly 
be  found. 

"The  war,  with  all  its  costly  sacrifices,  was 
fought  in  vain  unless  equal  rights  for  all  classes 
be  established  in  all  the  states  of  the  Union ; 
and  now,  in  words  which  are  those  of  friend- 
ship, however  differently  they  may  be  accepted, 
I  tell  the  men  of  the  South  here  on  this  floor 
and  beyond  this  chamber,  that  even  if  they 
could  strip  the  negro  of  his  constitutional  rights, 
they  can  never  permanently  maintain  the  ine- 
quality of  white  men  in  this  nation ;  they  can 
never  make  a  white  man's  vote  in  the  South 
doubly  as  powerful  in  the  administration  of  the 
government  as  a  white  man's  vote  in  the  North." 


XVI. 


ELAINE  AND   GARFIELD. 


HESE  names  will  be  forever  linked  to- 
gether in  American  history.  Not  as 
the  names  of  Lincoln  and  Seward. 
They  had  little  in  common  except  mas- 
sive powers  and  a  common  work,  without  any 
special  affinities  or  friendships  other  than  of  a 
public  and  political  nature.  They  were,  indeed, 
friends  in  a  large  sense,  and  each  worthy  of  the 
other,  constituting  largely  the  nation's  head,  when 
the  greatness  of  statesmanship  is  head,  and  the 
loyalty  of  statesmanship  is  heart,  was  the  demand 
of  the  hour.  It  was  the  cause  and  circumstance 
that  brought  their  great  lives  in  unison.  And 
yet  we  are  not  told  that  in  any  sense  they 
were  like  David  and  Jonathan,  —  one  at  heart  in 
a  personal  love,  as  they  were  one  in  mind,  de- 
voted to  the  great  concern  of  the  nation's  per- 
petuity. 

But  Mr.  Garfield  and  Mr.  Elaine,  when  young 
men  far  from  their  prime,  entered  together  the 
thirty-eighth  congress  in  1863.  Those  were  dark 


338  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

days,  and  side  by  side  they  fought  out  in  con- 
gress halls  the  great  battle  for  Liberty  and  Right 
against  Slavery  and  Wrong.  No  contest  com- 
manded talent  of  a  higher  order.  No  men  su- 
premer  in  those  great  qualities  which  give  to 
greatness  the  sovereign  right  to  dictate  the  des- 
tiny of  mighty  interests,  and  crown,  as  personal 
achievements,  those  interests  with  a  glory  imper- 
ishable,—  none  better,  braver,  truer,  armed  to  the 
point  of  triumph,  ever  stood  up  against  incarnate 
wrong,  to  wage  the  sharp,  decisive  engagement  to 
final  conquest,  than  did  these  men  and  their  no- 
ble compeers.  They  entered  the  lists  when  the 
breath  of  battle  blew  hottest,  when  the  land 
was  darkest  with  shadows  of  the  war-cloud,  when 
the  nation  was  saddest  from  loss  of  noble  sons 
by  land  and  sea,  when  desperation  was  stamped 
in  the  face  of  the  foe  and  rankled  in  his  heart. 
Like  Spartans,  there  they  stood,  pouring  their 
vital  energies  into  the  current  of  the  nation's 
life,  until  the  end  of  war,  and  all  its  fruits 
were  gathered  in  and  secured  in  safety  within 
the  iron  chest  of  the  constitution's  sure  protec- 
tion. 

It  was  not  for  four  years,  but  for  thirteen, 
that  they  thus  held  each  other  company  in 
their  high  service  of  the  nation  and  the  world 
Such  fellowship  as  this,  rich  with  every  element 
of  honor,  could  but  weld  their  hearts  in  unity. 


ELAINE    AND    GARFIELD.  339 

As  they  grew  up  into  those  expansive  lives,  rare 
and  fragrant  with  the  choicest  gifts  of  nature, 
and  rich  with  deeds  worthy  of  the  noblest  pow- 
ers, so  that  the  highest  honors  of  the  nation 
seemed  theirs,  they  grew  not  apart,  but  together. 
Thinking  and  speaking,  writing  and  contending, 
for  the  same  great  measures,  their  lives  ran  in 
the  same  great  channels. 

The  friendship  of  soldiers  who  have  toiled  and 
endured  together,  is  felt  by  thousands  in  our 
Republic  to-day,  and  the  feeling  grows  deeper 
and  stronger  as  the  years  go  by.  This  is  gen- 
eral, and  is  common  to  all,  but  it  is  enduring 
and  sincere.  Yet  there  were  special,  particular 
friendships,  more  personal  in  their  nature,  that 
sprang  up  like  beautiful  plants,  upon  this  larger 
field.  These  are  not  forgotten  or  destroyed. 
The  strength  of  life  is  in  them,  and  the  growth 
of  years  is  on  them.  The  immortality  of  time 
is  theirs.  So  in  the  narrower  field,  when  the 
life-giving  service  of  years,  wrought  into  the 
structure  of  a  nation  redeemed,  these  men  added 
to  the  charm  and  glory  of  the  broader  and  more 
general  interest,  the  grace  of  a  special  personal 
friendliness. 

They  were  just  dissimilar  enough  for  this. 
They  were  both  large,  strong  men  in  physique, 
and  yet  not  large  and  portly  in  the  sense  of 
large  and  needless  bulk  of  flesh;  but  fine  and 


34°  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

strong  frames,  with  massive  heads  set  squarely 
upon  broad  shoulders ;  arms  that  swung  with 
power;  bodies  filled  with  health,  —  not  shrunken, 
dwarfed,  or  withered, —  and  good,  stout  limbs,  that 
held  them  well  in  air,  and  moved  with  speed 
of  the  same  strong  will  that  commanded  and 
controlled  their  utterance.  There  were  ease  and 
grace  in  every  motion.  They  stood  erect  and 
bore  themselves  with  the  dignity  of  kings,  and 
yet  the  merest  child  was  beloved  by  them.  If 
the  one  was  deeper  and  more  metaphysical  than 
the  other,  that  other  was  broader,  richer  in 
generalization,  —  marshalling  his  well-armed  troops 
of  knowledge  from  every  field  where  Right  had 
conquered  Wrong,  and  moving  his  battalions  with 
the  speed  of  a  swifter  march.  They  were  never 
left  to  be  bitter  contestants  at  any  point ;  neither 
had  ever  plunged  the  iron  into  the  soul  of  the 
other,  or  done  aught  to  hinder  the  cause  of 
the  other's  promotion 

Early  in  their  congressional  career  they  were 
both  stamped  as  future  candidates  for  the  pres- 
idency. They  were  so  thought  of  and  talked 
about.  But  Mr.  Elaine's  prominence  as  a  speaker 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  had  given  him 
earliest  the  greater  prominence  in  this  direction, 
and  from  various  quarters  it  was  being  thrust 
upon  him.  But  they  were  friends,  and  had  no 
bickerings  and  jealousies  on  this  account.  Gar- 


ELAINE    AND    GARFIELD.  34! 

field  could  wait,  and  would.  He  did  not  put 
himself  forward,  nor  seek  it  at  the  hands  of 
friends.  He  would  rather  bide  his  time,  and 
help  another.  But  that  other  was  not  Mr.  Elaine, 
though  they  were  friends.  It  was  a  matter  of 
honor,  of  state  pride,  and  of  duty,  that  he  gave 
his  suffrage  and  his  power  to  John  Sherman,  of 
his  own  state  of  Ohio,  who  had  done  such 
magnificent  service  in  the  treasury  in  paying 
the  national  debt  and  resuming  specie  payment. 
And  his  great,  honest  speech  was  so  brilliant 
and  earnest  for  his  friend  at  home,  that  it  turned 
the  mind  of  the  convention  toward  him. 

When  the  crisis  came  they  crowned  him,  and 
on  the  instant  the  news  was  flashed  into  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Elaine,  while  still  the  cheers 
went  up  in  that  great  assembly  in  Chicago ;  he 
sent  his  congratulations  to  his  friend,  and  said, 
"  Command  my  services  for  the  great  campaign." 
They  were  friends  and  brothers  still,  each 
worthy  of  the  other's  highest  honor,  truest  de- 
votion, and  fullest  praise.  Political  lying  could 
not  befoul  the  heart  of  either  with  any  member 
of  that  brood  of  vipers  which  inhabit  this  sphere 
in  other  breasts.  They  knew  too  well  the 
nature  and  the  tactics  of  the  foe.  I  have 
seen  a  soldier  dead  upon  the  field,  so  black- 
ened with  blood  and  powder  from  the  fray, 
that  three  stood  by  and  claimed  him  for 


342  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

their     different     companies,     and     none   perchance 
were  right. 

But  no  blackening  powder  of  the  enemy,  no 
mud  of  inarch,  no  dust  of  camp,  or  any  other 
creature,  could  so  bespatter  or  besmear  these 
men  so  they  should  fail  to  know  and  love  each 
other.  The  battle  had  been  long  and  hard,  and 
desperate  to  them.  Neither  could  be  pierced  or 
fall  without  the  other's  notice,  and  full  well 
they  knew  that  such  hard  pressure  of  the 
enemy  would  bring  them  to  desperate  straits. 
But  this  did  not  cause  them  to  fear  or  falter, 
but  to  rush  on,  through  blinding  and  begriming 
powder-smoke,  to  victory.  They  could  but  smile 
at  the  enemies'  reports  of  battle,  and  of  the 
skill  and  bearing  of  both  general  and  troops, 
just  as  when  a  paper  crossed  the  lines  in  Re- 
bellion times  the  truth  came  not  always  with 
it.  Some  one  must  bear  the  wrath  of  those 
whose  flag  was  ever  in  the  dust,  and  whose 
broken  ranks  were  reeling  in  defeat.  Hard 
names  and  lies  were  but  the  sparks,  —  the  flint 
flash  from  the  clash  of  arms,  —  they  but  con- 
sume themselves,  then  die  away.  No  man,  since 
all  the  hate  of  treason  had  blackened  Lincoln 
and  our  leading  men  with  crimes  imaginary, 
had  had  his  name  politically  tarnished  with 
darker  words  of  calumny  than  the  wise,  the 
good,  the  sainted  Garneld ;  and  yet  Mr.  Elaine 


ELAINE   AND    GARFIELD.  343 

lived  so  close  to  him,  so  well  knew  the  health 
and  the  beauty  of  his  inward  life,  the  strength 
and  soundness  of  his  character,  the  boldness  of 
his  purpose,  purity  of  his  motive,  and  the  clean- 
ness of  his  record,  —  as  history  shall  record  it, 
—  that  his  voice  resounded  as  it  never  had 
done,  from  city  to  city,  from  state  to  state,  in 
support  of  the  man  and  in  vindication  of  his 
cause ;  and  the  wreath  was  on  his  brow,  and 
multitudes  stood,  with  uncovered  heads,  to  do 
him  honor.  His  old,  tried  friends,  who  had 
watched,  and  studied,  and  known  him  for  twenty 
years  had  sent  him  back  to  congress  for  the 
ninth  time.  The  legislature  of  Ohio  had  given 
him  their  suffrage  and  elevated  him  sponta- 
neously, without  his  presence  or  his  asking,  to 
the  senatorship.  The  convention  had  nominated, 
and  the  people  ,  elected  him  to  the  presidency, 
and  all  despite  the  flinging  of  mud  and  the 
breath  of  slander.  "  He  was  met,"  says  Mr. 
Elaine,  "  with  a  storm  of  detraction  at  the  very 
hour  of  his  nomination,  and  it  continued  with 
increasing  volume  until  the  close  of  his  victo- 
rious campaign:  — 

" '  No  might,  nor  greatness  in   mortality, 

Can  censure   scope ;   back-wounding   calumny. 
The   whitest  virtue   strikes;    what   king   so  strong, 
Can   tie   the  gall   up  in   the  slanderous   tongue.'" 

"Under    it    all,"    he   says,    "he    was    calm,    and 


344  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

strong,  and  confident  ;  never  lost  his  self-posses- 
sion, did  no  unwise  act,  spoke  no  hasty  or  ill- 
considered  word.  Indeed,  nothing  in  his  whole 
life  is  more  remarkable  than  his  bearing  through 
those  five  full  months  of  vituperation.  The  great 
mass  of  these  unjust  imputations  passed  unno- 
ticed, and  with  the  general  debris  of  the  cam- 
paign fell  into  oblivion." 

The  friendship  of  Mr.  Elaine  never  waned. 
He  was  true  as  steel.  And  when  the  honors 
of  the  nation,  who  had  honored  him,  were  in 
Garfield's  hands,  the  chiefest  and  the  best  were 
for  his  first  best  friend,  whom  he  called  to  the 
highest  place  in  his  cabinet,  —  the  premier  of  the 
nation.  This  was  no  mere  compliment.  It  was 
an  official  act.  The  success  of  his  administra- 
tion, which  was  his  greatest  care,  depended 
largely  upon  his  secretary  of  state.  He  must  be 
clean  as  well  as  competent, — a  king  in  skill  and 
scholarship,  as  well  as  brother,  friend.  It  must 
then  have  been  an  act  of  his  best  judgment,  as 
well  as  an  expression  of  regard.  And  yet  it 
was  as  well  respect  for  the  millions,  represented 
by  the  large  and  strong  delegations  who  voted 
for  him  with  such  strength  of  purpose  for  five- 
and-thirty  times. 

Four  months,  less  two  days,  he  sat  at  his 
right  hand  in  the  highest  counsels  of  the  country, 
a  wise,  and  honored,  and  trusted  man.  He  could 


ELAINE    AND    GARFIELD.  345 

not  have  been  there  had  not  Garfielcl  known 
him,  —  but  he  did  know  him  through  and  through, 
and  because  he  knew  him  so  thoroughly  and 
well,  he  placed  the  keeping  of  the  nation's  wis- 
dom, integrity,  and  honor  before  the  world,  and 
in  the  great  world  abroad,  into  his  hands. 

"The  heart  is  wiser  than  the  head,'.'  and 
knows  more  deeply  into  life  and  character,  than 
simple,  abstract  thought  can  penetrate.  It  re- 
ceives and  knows  the  whole  man  as  a  whole, 
knows  him  as  a  person  in  his  every  element  of 
personality  in  reason,  conscience,  affections,  will ; 
knows  him  by  the  touch  of  moral  reason,  for 
pure  intellect  may  act  alone  comparatively  in  ab- 
stract questions,  of  metaphysical  thought,  but  the 
heart  never.  The  true  enlightenment  is  here. 
It  is  the  abode  of  motive,  purpose,  plan, — out 
of  it  are  the  issues  of  life  itself. 

We  are  ignornnt  of  those  we  hate,  as  the 
South  was  of  the  North  before  the  war,  and 
hence  her  braggart  boasts.  But  those  whom  we 
know  deeply,  fully,  truly,  we  love  deeply,  fully, 
truly.  Love  lights  the  path  of  reason,  when  it 
carries  the  whole  reason  with  it,  and  furnishes 
by  reciprocal  acts  of  confidence  data  for  its 
guidance.  And  thus  we  love  our  way  into  each 
other's  lives,  while  reason  thus  enlightened,  helps 
us  on. 

It   was   thus   with   these  great   men   of  the   na- 


34*5  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

tion's  hope,  her  honor,  and  her  trust.  They  sat, 
they  stood,  they  walked,  they  talked  together, 
their  great  hearts  open  as  the  day,  shining  full 
upon  each  other.  And  as  they  shone  thus  on 
each  other's  life,  there  was  a  blending,  and  so 
a  mutual  life,  an  interlacing,  twining,  locking,  and 
so  a  unity. 

Every  walk  in  life  furnishes  its  friendships ; 
and  the  greater  the  walk  may  be,  the  greater 
are  the  friendships ;  for  the  greater  the  affini- 
ties, the  broader  the  sympathies,  the  purer, 
sweeter,  more  supreme  the  life;  for  the  true 
life  is  never  isolated,  but  unstarvecl  in  every 
part.  The  king  has  his  queen,  the  Czar  his 
Czarina.  Only  the  small-souled  men  are  shrunken 
hearted,  while  large,  capacious  spirits  take  in 
worlds. 

Perhaps  the  country  never  possessed  two  men 
at  the  same  time  who  had  more  friends  of  the 
solid  and  reliable  sort  than  these  men,  who  ad- 
mired and  loved  to  honor,  and  honored  because 
they  loved,  and  this  because  they  lived  out 
their  splendid  natures  before  their  countrymen, 
hating  every  mean  thing,  loving  and  praising 
the  good.  They  were  not  dark,  unfathomable 
mysteries,  enigmas,  puzzles,  problems,  staring  at 
you,  unsolved,  and  daring  you  to  the  thankless 
task,  and  promising  but  the  gloom  of  deeper 
shadows ;  you  felt  you  knew  them.  They  did 


ELAINE    AND    GARFIELD.  347 

not  stand  aloof,  daring  you  mount  up  to  them, 
but  coming  down,  they  sat  beside  you,  and  made 
you  feel  akin,  and  not  blush  out  your  feelings 
of  a  doomed  inferiority  ;  and  this  great-hearted- 
ness,  beating  responsive  to  the  strong,  warm 
touch  of  nature,  made  them  friends. 

Garfield  did  not  live  to  draw  the  picture  of 
his  Blaine,  but  Elaine  has  lived  to  draw  the 
picture  of  his  Garfield. 

"It  is  not  easy,"  he  says,  "to  find  his  coun- 
terpart anywhere  in  the  record  of  American 
public  life.  He,  perhaps,  more  nearly  resembles 
Mr.  Seward  in  his  supreme  faith  in  the  all-con- 
quering power  of  a  principle.  He  had  the  love 
of  learning,  and  patient  industry  of  investigation 
to  which  John  Quincy  Adams  owes  his  promi- 
nence, and  his  presidency.  He  had  some  of 
those  pondrous  elements  of  mind  which  distin- 
guished Mr.  Webster,  and  which,  indeed,  in  all 
our  public  life,  have  left  the  great  Massachusetts 
senator  without  an  intellectual  peer. 

"Some  of  his  methods  recall  the  best  features 
in  the  strong,  independent  course  of  Sir  Robert 
Peel,  to  whom  he  had  striking  resemblance  in 
the  type  of  his  mind  and  the  habit  of  his 
speech.  He  had  all  of  Burke's  love  for  the 
sublime  and  the  beautiful,  with,  possibly,  some- 
thing of  his  superabundance.  In  his  faith  and 
his  magnanirrvty ;  in  his  power  of  statement  and 


348  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

subtle  analysis;  in  his  faultless  logic,  and  his 
love  of  literature ;  in  his  wealth  and  mode  of 
illustration,  one  is  reminded  of  that  great  Eng- 
lish statesman  of  to-day,  —  Gladstone." 

But  the  nation  seems  to  commemorate  most 
fittingly  the  friendship  of  those  two  men,  when 
in  the  person  of  its  representatives  and  senators 
it  selects  to  deliver  the  eulogy  of  the  dead 
president.  Not  any  of  his  colleagues  in  the 
House  from  his  native  state,  however  long  or 
well  they  may  have  known  him ;  nor  his  col- 
league in  the  senate;  no  governor  of  his  hon- 
ored state;  his  loved  and  cultured  pastor,  nor 
any  other  man  than  Elaine, — his  chosen  coun- 
sellor in  the  great  affairs  of  state ;  he  who  was 
with  him  when,  on  that  quiet,  happy  morning 
in  July,  they  rode  slowly  to  the  depot,  and 
"his  fate  was  on  him  in  an  instant.  One 
moment  he  stood  erect,  strong,  confident  in  the 
years  stretching  out  peacefully  before  him;  —  the 
next  he  lay  wounded,  bleeding,  helpless,  doomed 
to  weary  weeks  of  torture,  to  silence,  and  the 
grave." 

And  now,  as  the  hand  of  Mr.  Elaine  draws 
aside  the  curtain,  let  us  look  in  upon  the  final 
scene  in  the  life  and  death  of  his  great  friend, 
and  see,  as  he  saw,  the  man  so  deeply,  truly 
loved  by  the  great  nation  he  had  just  begun  to 
rule  so  well. 


ELAINE    AND    GARFIELD.  349 

"Great  in  life,  he  was  surpassingly  great  in  death. 
For  no  cause,  in  the  very  frenzy  of  wantonness  and 
wickedness,  by  the  red  hand  of  murder,  he'  was 
thrust  from  the  full  tide  of  this  world's  interest; 
from  its  hopes,  its  aspirations,  its  victories,  into  the 
visible  presence  of  death,  and  he  did  not  quail. 
Not  alone  for  the  one  short  moment  in  which, 
stunned  and  dazed,  he  could  give  up  life,  hardly 
aware  of  its  relinquishment ;  but  through  days  of 
deadly  languor ;  through  weeks  of  agony,  that  was 
not  less  agony  because  silently  borne;  with  clear 
sight  and  calm  courage  he  looked  into  his  open 
grave.  What  blight  and  ruin  met  his  anguished  eyes, 
whose  lips  may  tell?  What  brilliant,  broken  plans; 
what  baffled  high  ambitions  ;  what  sundering  of  strong, 
warm  manhood's  friendships ;  what  bitter  rending  of 
sweet  household  ties!  Behind  him  a  proud,  expectant 
nation ;  a  great  host  of  sustaining  friends ;  a  cher- 
ished and  happy  mother,  wearing  the  full,  rich  hon- 
ors of  her  early  toil  and  tears ;  the  wife  of  his  youth, 
whose  whole  life  lay  in  his;  the  little  boys  not  yet 
emerged  from  childhood's  day  of  frolic;  the  fair, 
young  daughter ;  the  sturdy  sons,  just  springing  into 
closest  companionship,  claiming  every  day  and  every 
hour  the  reward  of  a  father's  love  and  care ;  and  in 
his  heart  the  eager,  rejoicing  power  to  meet  all  de- 
mands. Before  him,  desolation  and  great  darkness ! 
And  his  soul  was  not  shaken. 

"  His  countrymen  were  thrilled  with  instant,  pro- 
found, and  universal  sympathy.  Masterful  in  his 
mortal  weakness,  he  became  the  centre  of  a  nation's 


35°  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

love ;  enshrined  in  the  prayers  of  a  world.  But  all 
the  love  and  all  the  sympathy  could  not  share  with 
him  his  suffering.  He  trod  the  wine-press  alone. 
With  unfaltering  front  he  faced  death.  With  unfailing 
tenderness  he  took  leave  of  life.  Above  the  demo- 
niac hiss  of  the  assassin's  bullet  he  heard  the  voice 
of  God.  With  simple  resignation  he  bowed  to  the 
divine  decree. 

"As  the  end  drew  near,  his  early  craving  for  the 
sea  returned.  The  stately  mansion  of  power  had 
been  to  him  the  wearisome  hospital  of  pain,  and  he 
begged  to  be  taken  from  its  prison  walls,  from  its 
oppressive,  stifling  air,  from  its  homelessness,  and  its 
hopelessness.  Gently,  silently,  the  love  of  a  great 
people  bore  the  pale  sufferer  to  the  longed-for  heal- 
ing of  the  sea,  to  live  or  to  die,  as  God  should 
will,  within  sight  of  its  heaving  billows,  within  hearing 
of  its  manifold  voices.  With  wan,  fevered  face  ten- 
derly lifted  to  I  he  cooling  breeze,  he  looked  out 
wistfully  upon  the  ocean's  changing  wonders ;  on  its 
far  sails,  whitening  in  the  morning  light;  on  its  rest- 
less waves,  rolling  shoreward  to  break  and  die 
beneath  the  noonday  sun ;  on  the  red  clouds  of 
evening,  arching  low  to  the  horizon ;  on  the  serene 
and  shining  pathway  of  the  stars.  Let  us  believe 
that  in  the  silence  of  the  receding  world  he  heaid 
the  great  waves  breaking  on  a  further  shore,  and 
felt,  already  upon  his  wasted  brow,  the  breath  of  the 
eternal  morning." 


XVII. 


SECRETARY    OF    STATE. 


R.     BLAINE    was    a    member    of     the 
cabinets    of    President    Garfield   and   of 
President      Arthur     for     ten      months, 
retiring    at     his     own    request,    in   Jan- 
uary,   1 88 1. 

The  Foreign  Policy  of  the  Garfield  adminis- 
tration, as  conducted  by  Mr.  Blaine,  was  em- 
phatically a  Peace  Policy.  It  was  without  the 
motive  or  disposition  of  war  in  any  form.  It 
was  one  of  dignity  and  uprightness,  as  a  work 
of  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  pages,  entitled  "  For- 
eign Relations  of  the  United  States  for  1881," 
and  another  book  entitled  "War  in  South  Amer- 
ica, and  attempt  to  bring  about  Peace,  1 880-81," 
a  book  of  about  eight  hundred  pages,  both 
printed  by  the  United  States  Government,  and 
now  before  us,  amply  testify. 

Its  two  objects,  as  distinctly  stated  by  him, 
were:  first,  to  bring  about  peace,  and  prevent 
future  wars  in  North  and  South  America  ;  sec- 
ond, to  cultivate  such  friendly  commercial  rela- 


35 2  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

tions  with  all  American  countries  as  would  in- 
crease the  export  trade  of  the  United  States,  by 
supplying  those  fabrics  in  which  we  are  abun- 
dantly able  to  compete  with  the  manufacturing 
nations  of  Europe. 

The  second  depended  on  the  first.  For  three 
years  Chili,  Peru,  and  Bolivia  had  been  engrossed 
in  war,  and  the  friendly  offices  of  the  United 
States  Government  had  barely  averted  it  between 
Chili  and  the  Argentine  Republic,  postponed  it 
between  Gautemala  and  Mexico;  so  also  it  might 
in  these  South  American  Republics.  War  was 
threatened  between  Brazil  and  Uruguay,  and  fore- 
shadowed between  Brazil  and  the  Argentine  states. 

To  induce  the  Spanish  American  states  to 
adopt  some  peaceful  mode  of  adjusting  their  fre- 
quently recurring  contentions,  was  regarded  by 
President  Garfield  as  one  of  the  most  honorable 
and  useful  ends  to  which  the  diplomacy  of  the 
United  States  could  contribute ;  and  in  the  line 
of  the  policy  indicated,  is  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Elaine  to  Gen.  S.  A.  Hurlbut,  United  States 
Minister  to  Peru.  While  it  shows  the  spirit  of 
the  president,  it  shows  as  well  the  hand  and 
heart  of  his  secretary  :  — 

"  DEPARTMENT   OF   STATE, 

"WASHINGTON,   June    15,  1881. 

"SiR:  —  The  deplorable  condition  of  Peru,  the  dis- 
organization of  its  government,  and  the  absence  of 


SECRETARY   OF  STATE.  353 

precise  and  trustworthy  information  as  to  the  state 
of  affairs  now  existing  in  that  unhappy  country,  ren- 
der it  impossible  to  give  you  instructions  as  full  and 
definite  as  I  would  desire. 

"Judging  from  the  most  recent  despatches  from 
our  ministers,  you  will  probably  find  on  the  part  of 
the  Chilian  authorities  in  possession  of  Peru,  a  will- 
ingness to  facilitate  the  establishment  of  the  provis- 
ional government  which  has  been  attempted  by  Senor 
Calderon.  If  so  you  will  do  all  you  properly  can 
to  encourage  the  Peruvians  to  accept  any  reasonable 
conditions  and  limitations  with  which  this  concession 
may  be  accompanied.  It  is  vitally  important  to  Peru, 
that  she  be  allowed  to  resume  the  functions  of  a 
native  and  orderly  government,  both  for  the  purposes 
of  internal  administration  and  the  negotiation  of  peace. 
To  obtain  this  end  it  would  be  far  better  to  accept 
conditions  which  may  be  hard  and  unwelcome,  than 
by  demanding  too  much  to  force  the  continuance  of 
the  military  control  of  Chili.  It  is  hoped  that  you 
will  be  able,  in  your  necessary  association  with  the 
Chilian  authorities,  to  impress  upon  them  that  the 
more  liberal  and  considerate  their  policy,  the  surer 
it  will  be  to  obtain  a  lasting  and  satisfactory  settle- 
ment. The  Peruvians  cannot  but  be  aware  of  the 
sympathy  and  interest  of  the  people  and  government 
of  the  United  States,  and  will,  I  feel  confident,  be 
prepared  to  give  to  your  representations  the  consider- 
ation to  which  the  friendly  anxiety  of  this  govern- 
ment entitles  them. 

"The   United    States   cannot    refuse    to    recognize   the 


354  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

rights  which  the  Chilian  government  has  acquired  by 
the  successes  of  the  war,  and  it  may  be  that  a  ces- 
sion of  territory  will  be  the  necessary  price  to  be 

paid  for  peace 

"As  a  strictly  confidential  communication,  I  inclose 
you  a  copy  of  instructions  sent  this  day  to  the 
United  States  minister  at  Santiago.  You  will  thus 
be  advised  of  the  position  which  this  government 
assumes  toward  all  the  parties  to  this  deplorable 
conflict.  It  is  the  desire  of  the  United  States  to 
act  in  a  spirit  of  the  sincerest  friendship  to  the 
three  republics,  and  to  use  its  influence  solely  in  the 
interest  of  an  honorable  and  lasting  peace. 

"JAMES    G.    ELAINE." 

The  appointment  of  William  Henry  Trescot 
as  Spanish  envoy,  with  the  rank  of  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  to  the  republics  of  Chili,  Peru, 
and  Bolivia,  was  done  in  the  same  regard,  not 
only  of  the  nation's  honor,  but  also  of  peace 
and  that  commerce  which  brings  prosperity  and 
happiness. 

It  has  long  been  felt,  and  is  felt  deeply  to- 
day, that  there  are  many  kindly  offices  of  state 
which  this  great  nation  may  offer  to  weaker, 
feebler,  and  distressed  peoples,  for  their  good 
and  for  our  glory ;  that  it  is  not  enough  to 
be  simply  an  example  and  an  asylum,  but  to 
be  a  potent  benefactor  in  a  direct  and  personal 
way,  teaching  them  that  peace,  not  war,  is  the 


SECRETARY   OF  STATE.  355 

secret  of  growth  and  greatness.  This,  in  effect, 
was  the  object  of  the  peace  congress,  which 
was  a  cherished  design  of  the  administration, 
and  to  which  Mr.  Elaine  was  fully  committed. 

No  wonder  that  such  a  project  commanded 
the  thought  and  enlisted  the  sympathies  of 
such  men  as  Garfield  and  his  great  premier; 
and  Mr.  Elaine  tells  us  that  it  was  the  inten- 
tion, resolved  on  before  the  fatal  shot  of  July 
2d,  to  invite  all  the  independent  governments  of 
North  and  South  America  to  meet  in  such  a 
congress  at  Washington,  on  March  15,  1882, 
and  the  invitations  would  have  been  issued 
directly  after  the  New  England  tour  the  presi- 
dent was  not  permitted  to  make.  But  the  invi- 
tations were  sent  out  by  Mr.  Elaine  on  the 
22d  of  November,  when  in  Mr.  Arthur's  cabinet. 
It  met  with  cordial  approval  in  South  American 
countries,  and  some  of  them  at  once  accepted 
the  invitations.  But  in  six  weeks  President  Ar- 
thur caused  the  invitations  to  be  recalled,  or 
suspended,  and  referre4  the  whole  matter  to 
congress,  where  it  was  lost  in  debate,  just  as 
the  Panama  congress  was  wrecked  when  Mr. 
Clay  was  secretary  of  state  over  fifty  years  ago. 

It  was  argued  that  such  an  assemblage  of 
representatives  from  those  various  states  would 
not  only  elevate  their  standard  of  civilization, 
and  lead  to  the  fuller  development  of  a  conti- 


356  PINE  TO  POTOMAC. 

nent  at  whose  wealth  Humboldt  was  amazed,  but 
it  would  also  bring  them  nearer  us  and  turn 
the  drift  of  their  European  trade  to  our  Amer- 
ican shores.  As  it  is,  they  have  a  coin  balance 
of  trade  against  us  every  year,  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  millions  of  dollars,  and  this  money 
is  shipped  from  our  country  to  Europe,  to  pay 
for  their  immense  purchases  there.  Their  petro- 
leum comes  from  us,  but  crosses  the  Atlantic 
twice  before  it  gets  to  them,  and  the  middle- 
men in  Europe  receive  a  larger  profit  on  it 
than  the  producers  of  the  oil  in  north-western 
Pennsylvania. 

It  may  be  both  wise  and  prudent,  in  order 
to  completeness  of  biography,  to  state  two 
aspersions,  —  one  of  war,  and  the  other  of  gain, 
—  cast  upon  the  policy  of  Mr.  Elaine. 

William  Henry  Trescot,  in  a  published  letter 
dated  July  17,  1882,  states  "his  knowledge  of 
certain  matters  connected  with  Mr.  Elaine's  ad- 
ministration as  secretary  of  state":  — 

"  2.  As  to  your  desigij^ng  a  war,  that  supposi- 
tion is  too  absurd  for  serious  consideration.  If 
you  had  any  such  purpose  it  was  carefully  con- 
cealed from  me,  and  I  left  for  South  America 
with  the  impression  that  I  would  utterly  %il  in 
my  mission  if  I  did  not  succeed  in  obtainih&  an 
amicable  settlement  of  the  differences  between  the 
belligerents. 


SECRETARY  OF  STATE,  357 

"3.  In  regard  to  the  Cochet  and  Landreau 
claims,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  you  rejected 
the  first,  absolutely.  As  to  the  second,  you  in- 
structed General  Hurlbut  to  ask,  if  the  proper 
time  for  such  request  should  come,  that  Lan- 
dreau might  be  heard  before  a  Peruvian  tribunal 
in  support  of  his  claim. 

"General  Hurlbut,  although  approving  the  jus- 
tice of  Landreau's  claim  in  his  dispatch  of  Sept. 
14,  1 88 1,  never  brought  it  in  any  way  to  the 
notice  of  the  Peruvian  government.  During  my 
mission  in  South  America,  I  never  referred  to 
it,  so  that,  in  point  of  fact,  during  your  secre- 
taryship the  Landreau  claim  was  never  mentioned 
by  ministers  of  the  United  States,  either  to  the 
Chilian  or  Peruvian  government.  It  could  not, 
therefore,  have  affected  the  then  pending  diplo- 
matic questions  in  the  remotest  degree." 

But  for  these  he  appeared  and  answered,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Trescot,  before  the  House 
committee  on  foreign  affairs,  Hon.  Charles  G. 
Williams,  of  Wisconsin,*  chairman. 

"  He  received  a  vindication,"  is  the  simple 
report. 

"  I  think  Mr.  Elaine  has  rather  enjoyed  his 
opportunity,  and  his  triumph,"  writes  one.  "  It 
is  inspiring  to  have  Mr.  Elaine  associated  with 
public  affairs  again,  if  only  as  a  witness  before 
a  committee.  How  the  country  rings  with  his 


35 8  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

name,  the  moment  he  breaks  silence!  His 
familiar  face,  framed  in  rapidly  whitening  hair ; 
his  elastic  figure,  growing  almost  venerable,  from 
recent  associations ;  his  paternal  manner  toward 
young  Jimmie,  his  name-sake  son,  whom  by 
some  whim  of  fancy,  he  had  with  him  during 
the  examination,  —  all  these  were  elements  of 
interest  in  the  picture." 

And  now  comes  a  beautiful  prophecy,  two 
years  old,  which  shows  how  one  may  argue  his 
way  into  the  future  by  the  hard  and  certain  logic 
of  events.  It  is  this :  "  The  administration  will 
have  to  do  something  that  shall  appeal  strongly 
to  the  popular  heart ;  something  out  of  the  line 
of  hospitalities  within  its  own  charmed  circle ; 
something  magnetic  and  heroic,  or  else  'Blaine, 
of  Maine,'  will  become  so  idolized  in  the  minds 
of  the  people  that  he  will  be  invincible  in 
1884." 

In  all  of  his  foreign  correspondence  there  is, 
in  one  particular,  a  striking  likeness  between 
Mr.  Blaine  and  President  Lincoln,  —  the  man  is 
not  lost  in  the  statesman,  but  rather  the  man 
is  the  statesman. 

As  Abraham  Lincoln  in  all  his  giant  form 
appears  upon  the  forefront  of  every  public  doc- 
ument that  came  from  his  hand,  so  James  G. 
Blaine  is  photographed  from  life  in  every  state- 
paper  that  bears  his  name.  He  copies  no  model, 


SECRETARY   OF  STATE.  359 

he  stands  on  no  pedestal, — his  personality  is 
free  and  untrammeled  in  every  utterance. 

In  his  paper  to  Mr.  Lowell,  our  Minister  to 
England,  of  Nov.  29,  iSSi,  we  get  a  full  view 
of  the  man  at  his  work. 

A  modification  of  the  Clayton-Bulwer  treaty  of 
April  19,  1850,  is  the  subject  in  hand.  His 
instructions  had  been  sent  ten  days  before.  A 
week  afterwards  the  response  of  Lord  Granville 
to  his  circular  note  of  June  24,  in  relation  to 
the  neutrality  of  any  canal  across  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  had  been  received. 

And  so  he  proceeded  to  give  a  summary  of 
the  historical  objections  to  the  Clayton-Bulwer 
treaty,  and  the  very  decided  differences  of  opin- 
ion between  the  two  governments,  to  which  its 
interpretation  has  given  rise.  And  this  he  does 
with  singular  skill  and  aptness,  which  is  not. 
unusual  to  him,  when  the  philosophy  of  history 
is  needful  as  the  servant  of  his  genius. 

No  less  than  sixteen  direct  quotations  of  from 
two  to  eight  lines  each,  are  given  in  a  letter  of 
six  large  pages,  taken  from  the  discussion  of  the 
subject  for  thirty  years,  while  the  main  body  of 
the  letter,  in  its  various  parts,  shows  a  compre- 
hensive grasp  of  details,  a  familiarity  with 
utterances  of  the  leading  men  gf  the  past,  and 
with  England's  operations  under  the  treaty,  as 
to  prove  conclusively  that  in  the  highest  realms 


36O  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

of  statesmanship,  mastery  is  still  the  one  word 
that  defines  the  man. 

His  previous  letter  of  instructions,  presenting 
an  analysis  of  the  Clayton-Bulwer  treaty,  singling 
out  the  objectionable  features  to  be  abrogated, 
and  stating  his  reasons,  is  of  the  same  clear, 
strong  type,  compactly  written,  and  applying  the 
great  arguments  of  common  sense  to  a  subject 
of  international  importance. 

"The  convention,"  he  says,  "was  made  more 
than  thirty  years  ago,  under  exceptional  and  ex- 
traordinary conditions,  which  have  long  since 
ceased  to  exist, — conditions  which  at  best  were 
temporary  in  their  nature,  and  which  can  never 
be  reproduced. 

"The  development  of  the  Pacific  coast  places 
responsibility  upon  our  government  which  it 
cannot  meet,  and  not  control  the  canal  now 
building,  and  just  as  England  controls  the  Suez 
canal. 

"England  requires  and  sustains  an  immense 
navy,  for  which  we  have  no  use,  and  might  at 
any  time  seize  the  canal,  and  make  it  impossible 
for  us  to  marshal  a  squadron  in  Pacific  waters, 
without  a  perilous  voyage  ourselves  around  the 
Horn." 

Great  events  of  permanent  importance  would 
doubtless  have  been  the  result,  had  the  presi- 
dent and  his  secretary  been  permitted  to  con 


SECRETARY   OF  STATE. 


tinue  as  they  were  for  the  full  term  of  office. 
Already  Mr.  Blainc  was  showing  himself  a  mas- 
ter in  the  arts  of  diplomacy,  not  with  aught  of 
cunning  artifice  or  sly  interrogation,  but  with 
straight-forward,  solid  utterances  upon  the  great 
interests  of  the  nation's  weal.  Not  only  of  the 
loved  and  honored  president  did  the  assassin's 
bullet  deprive  us,  but  also  of  the  services  of 
Mr.  Blaine,  as  well.  A  Providence  more  kind 
seems  to  be  giving  him  back  to  the  nation,  to 
complete  their  unfinished  work. 


XVIII. 

HOME  LIFE  OF   MR.   ELAINE. 

N  his  "  Letters  to  the  Joneses "  J.  G. 
Holland  describes  various  homes  as 
possessing  all  the  elements  of  an  em- 
pire, a  kingdom,  a  monarchy,  or  a 
republic.  Mr.  Elaine's  home  is  a  republic. 
Every  member  of  his  family  seems  to  be  on  an 
absolute  equality ;  and  he,  as  one,  has  described 
him,  and  an  intimate  friend  confirmed  it,  is 
more  like  a  big  brother  than  aught  beside. 
Certainly  he  is  no  emperor,  no  monarch,  czar, 
or  king.  He  is  not  even  president  or  governor, 
nor  chieftain  there,  or  general ;  but  rather  the 
senior  member  of  the  family,  the  head  by  right 
of  priority.  He  is  there  deeply  loved,  greatly 
respected,  and  highly  honored.  Why  need  he  be 
a  tyrant  where  a  father's  wisdom  and  a  father's 
love  will  serve  him  best  and  win  high  enco- 
miums of  praise  ?  Why  not  shine  on  when  he 
enters  there,  as  well  as  in  the  places  of  the 
state  and  nation,  or  in  the  simpler  walks  and 
haunts  of  men  ?  Why  put  out  his  light  when 


JIOME    LIFE    OF  MR.  BLAIKE.  363 

among  those  who  most  admire  and  love  ?  Why 
ring  down  the  curtain  upon  all  those  splendid 
qualities  of  soul  that  make  him  famous  in  the 
world  abroad,  when  in  the  charmed  circle  of 
those  who  love  and  share  his  fame  and 
honor  ? 

Mr.  Blaine's  first  home  in  Augusta  was  the 
eastern  half  of  a  large,  brown,  double  house,  on 
Green  Street,  nearly  opposite  the  Methodist 
church.  It  was  a  simple,  unpretentious,  pleasant 
home,  all  through  his  editorial,  legislative,  and 
on  into  his  congressional  life.  It  was  where  he 
did  the  hard  work  of  those  first  years,  where 
he  made  his  friends  and  bound  them  to  him, 
where  he  entertained  them  and  gave  them  cheer. 
His  business  was  a  constant  thing  with  him ; 
he  never  quit  or  laid  it  aside;  and  it  was  a 
great  part  of  his  business  to  get  acquainted. 
He  took  them  to  his  home  ;  it  was  open  to  all, 
and  there  was  a  seat  for  any  and  all  at  his 
table.  He  kept  open  house  the  year  around. 
When  friends  came  it  was  hard  to  get  away; 
he  would  hold  on  to  them  as  he  would  to  a 
book.  He  loved  the  people ;  they  were  a  study 
to  him  ;  a  very  joy  and  pleasure,  a  real  delight. 
Among  the  people  he  is  perfectly  at  home,  and 
they  are  made  to  feel  that  "  come  and  see  me " 
means  just  that,  and  all  that  that  means.  He 
is  like  a  father  or  big  brother  out  among  them. 


3^4  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

They  all  knew  him,  and  knew  where  he  lived, 
—  in  that  "brown  house  on  Green  Street." 
This  was  back  in  those  years  before  he  was  so 
largely  in  Washington,  and  before  he  had  his 
pleasant  and  more  commodious  house  and 
grounds  near  the  capitol. 

The  whole  care  of  the  home  was  upon  Mrs. 
Elaine,  who  looked  after  everything  down  to 
the  veriest  minutics.  She  was  thoroughly  in 
sympathy  with  him,  was  pleased  with  what  he 
enjoyed;  and  so  was  perfectly  willing  their 
home  should  be  the  rally  ing-place  for  his  hosts 
of  friends,  who  might  come  and  go  at  will. 
The  Maine  legislature  met  at  his  house  during 
the  Garcelon  trouble. 

Mr.  Elaine  attended  strictly  to  his  work,  and 
that  meant  the  people, — strangers,  and  towns- 
people, one  and  all.  He  never,  I  am  credibly 
informed,  bought  a  pound  of  steak  in  his  life, 
nor  a  barrel  of  flour ;  never  went  to  a  grocery 
store  to  buy  anything.  He  has  had  no  time  or 
thought  for  things  like  these.  He  has  been  a 
student  and  teacher  all  his  life ;  a  close,  deep, 
careful  reader  and  thinker.  He  had  never  been 
in  a  printing-office  in  his  life  until  he  became 
editor,  and  had  to  learn  the  people,  study  them, 
get  politics  from  their  ways  of  thinking  and 
looking  at  things ;  and  it  was  a  matter  of  prin- 
ciple with  him  to  make  the  thing  go.  It  is 


HOME   LIFE    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  365 

not   a   half  dozen   things,    but    "This  one  thing  I 
do,"    with    him,    and    he    does    it.      But    he    has 
always   been   regular   at    his    meals,    as    a    matter 
of  health,   and    so    a    law    of    life.      He    was    no 
epicurean ;    cared    only    for    the    more    substantial 
things   of  diet,   and   never   seemed   to   be   particu- 
lar   about    what    he    ate,    except    one    thing,   and 
that   he  liked,    and   always   wanted   them   in   their 
season,    and    always    had     them.      It    was     baked 
sweet    apples    and    milk    at    the    close    of    every 
meal.      And    then  'he    would    sit    and    read,    and 
read,   and   read,    especially   after  supper,  and  Mrs. 
Elaine,    if    she    wanted    him    to    move    from    the 
table,   would    say,    "  James !    James ! "    and    again, 
"James!"   like   enough    half    a    dozen    times    be- 
fore  he   would   hear,    and    she   pleasant   and   care- 
ful  of  him   all   the  time.     She  has  had  mind   and 
heart    to    know    his    worth,   and    has    needed   no 
one   to   tell  her  that  teaching  school  in    Kentucky 
has    paid    her    a    handsome    dividend   and   is   full 
of    promise    for    the    future.      He    has     made     no 
move   but    what    she    has    seconded    the    motion. 
Her  life   is   in   his,  and  not   a   thing   independent 
and   apart   from   it. 

One  who  knew  her  well  in  those  early  years, 
and  knows  her  well  to-day,  said  of  Mrs.  Elaine, 
"She  is  just  as  lovely  as  she  can  be;  of  su- 
perior culture,  and  a  real,  true  mother." 

The  gentleman   who   was   Mr.  Elaine's  foreman, 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC, 


and  for  a  year  and  a  half  made  his  home  with 
them,  is  most  enthusiastic  in  their  praise.  He 
tells  what  a  real  mother  Mrs.  Elaine  was  to 
him  if  he  was  sick,  or  anything  the  matter  with 
him,  how  she  would  take  the  best  of  care  of 
him.  Every  winter  they  published  a  tri-weekly 
during  the  session  of  the  legislature,  and  this 
kept  him  at  the  office  late  every-other  night, 
and  she  would  be  "worried  about  him  because 
he  had  to  work  nights,"  and  Mr.  Elaine  would 
say,  "Howard,  you  are  worth  a  dozen  boys 
(shiftless,  good-for-nothing  boys,  he  meant),  but 
you  must  not  work  so  hard."  The  humanities 
of  life  were  the  amenities  to  them. 

This  same  man,  who  has  since  been  editor 
and  proprietor  of  Mr.  Elaine's  old  paper,  said 
with  depth  of  feeling,  and  strong  emphasis,  "  I 
wish  every  voter  in  America  had  had  my  oppor- 
tunity for  eighteen  months,  right  in  his  own 
home,  to  see  and  know  Mr.  Elaine,  they  would 
find  out  then  what  a  royal  man  he  is." 
„  In  less  than  ten  days  after  his  nomination, 
parties  of  prominence,  connected  with  a  paper 
favorable  to  his  election,  but  located  in  quite  a 
city  where  a  leading  Republican  paper  affects 
to  oppose  him,  visited  Augusta,  and  called  upon 
his  political  enemies,  and  enquired  into  his  pri- 
vate, social,  and  domestic  life,  and  they  finally 
confessed  there  was  no  lisp  or  syllable  of  aught 


HOME    LIFE    OF  MR.   ELAINE.  367 

to  tarnish  his  name  or  cause  a  blush.  It  is  all 
pure,  and  sweet,  and  clear. 

When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elaine  first  entered  their 
Augusta  home,  a  bright  and  beautiful  baby  boy 
was  in  the  arms  of  Mrs.  Elaine.  He  was  the 
pride  and  joy  of  the  home,  their  first-born.  His 
name  was  Stanwood  Elaine,  taking  his  mother's 
maiden-name.  One  short,  bright  year  of  sun- 
shine, and  prattle,  and  glee,  and  a  dark  cloud 
rested  on  that  home ;  a  deep  sorrow  stung  the 
life  of  that  father,  and  heavy  grief  oppressed 
the  heart  of  the  mother, — their  little  Stanwood 
was  gone;  he  was  among  the  jewels  on  high, 
and  there  he  is  to-day,  while  a  lovely  picture 
of  him  adorns  the  present  home. 

Since  then,  six  children  have  been  born  to 
them, — John  Walker,  a  graduate  of  Yale  col- 
lege, and  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Court  of 
Claims ;  Robert  Emmons,  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
college,  now  connected  with  the  North-western 
Railroad,  in  Chicago ;  Alice,  the  wife  of  Colonel 
Coppinger;  Margaret;  James  Gillespie,  Jr.,  and 
Hattie,  named  for  her  mother,  Harriet.  Walker, 
the  oldest,  is  about  thirty-one  years  old,  and 
unmarried.  Hattie,  the  youngest,  is  fourteen 
years  of  age.  All  of  the  children  have  been 
born  in  Augusta,  and  with  but  two  or  three 
exceptions,  in  the  old  home  on  Green  Street. 

Mr.    Elaine    has    been    accustomed    to    sit     up 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


quite  late  at  night  with  books,  papers,  and  let- 
ters, and  make  up  his  sleep  in  the  morning. 
He  loves  a  good  story,  and  keeps  a  fund  on 
hand  constantly,  and  they  serve  his  purpose 
well.  There  is  one  he  has  enjoyed  telling  to 
knots  of  friends  here  and  there,  and  especially 
when  friends  have  gathered  at  his  table.  The 
Maine  law,  in  the  interest  of  temperance,  was  a 
leading  issue  in  the  state  during  Mr.  Elaine's 
connection  with  the  Journal.  It  fell  to  the  lot 
of  his  partner,  John  L.  Stevens,  who  had  been 
a  minister,  to  write  the  temperance  articles,  and 
he  would  write  them  long  and  strong.  It  was 
a  custom  with  Mr.  Elaine  to  go  around  among 
the  workmen  and  chat  with  them,  a  few  words 
of  good  cheer.  Among  them  was  an  Irishman 
named  John  Murphy,  who  loved  his  glass.  He 
was  a  witty  fellow,  and  generally  had  something 
to  say.  One  day  while  Mr.  Elaine  was  around, 
Murphy  had  a  large,  long  manuscript  from  Mr. 
Stevens,  on  temperance,  which  he  was  setting 
up  in  type.  It  was  a  hard  job,  and  the  day 
was  hot.  He  was  about  half  through,  when  he 
called  out  to  the  foreman,  — 
"Owen,  have  you  a  quarter?" 
"  Yes,  sir  !  What  do  you  want  of  it  ?  " 
All  were  listening,  including  Mr.  Elaine,  for 
they  expected  something  bright  and  sharp. 
"Well,  sir,  I  thought  I  would  have  to  be 


HOME   LIFE    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  369 

after  having  something  to  wet  me  throat  wid 
before  I  got  through  with  this  long,  dry  tem- 
perance job." 

Everybody  roared  at  the  Irishman's  quaint 
sally.  It  struck  Mr.  Elaine  as  particularly  dry 
and  ludicrous ;  he  laughed  outright,  and  he 
would  tell  it  as  a  good  joke  on  his  partner. 

Mr.  Elaine  has  never  talked  about  people  be- 
hind their  backs ;  he  is  no  gossiper.  He  is  a 
fearless  man,  and  if  he  has  anything  to  say  to 
a  man  he  says  it  squarely  to  his  face.  There 
is  a  purity  of  tone  and  richness  of  life  in  his 
home,  that  are  both  noticeable  and  remarkable. 
There  seem  to  be  no  frictions,  gratings,  or 
harshness.  One  of  ample  opportunity  has  said, 
"I  never  heard  him  speak  a  cross  word  to  his 
children."  He  is  rather  indulgent  than  other- 
wise. While  he  may  be,  as  case  requires,  the 
strong,  central  government,  they  are  as  sover- 
eign states ;  no  rebellion  manifests  itself,  requir- 
ing coercion. 

Mr.  Elaine's  family  have  been  accustomed  to 
attend  church,  and  the  family  pew  is  always 
full.  Father  and  mother  are  both  members  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  have  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  devoted  Christians  and  liberal* 
supporters  of  the  church.  Mr.  Elaine  tells  them 
to  put  down  what  they  want  from  him,  and  he 
will  pay  it. 


370  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

He  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
best  Bible-class  teachers  in  the  city.  His  long 
drill  at  college,  reading  the  New  Testament 
through  in  Greek  several  times,  has  helped  him 
in  this.  A  Mission  Sabbath-school  was  started 
down  in  the  lower  part  of  Augusta,  and  he 
went  down  with  the  others  and  taught  a  large 
Bible-class.  His  old  pastors,  Doctor  Ecob,  of 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  Doctor  Webb,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  bear  the  highest  testimony  to  his  Chris- 
tian character  and  integrity.  It  was  said  of 
him  at  Cincinnati,  that  "  he  needed  no  certifi- 
cate of  moral  character  from  a  Rebel  congress," 
and  a  very  careful  examination  proves  it  true. 
No  man  could,  it  would  seem,  by  any  possibil- 
ity, stand  better  in  his  own  home  community 
than  does  Mr.  Elaine.  It  is  not  simply  cold, 
formal  endorsement,  as  a  matter  of  self-respect 
and  state-pride,  but  the  clear,  strong  words  of 
a  deep  and  powerful  friendship,  that  one  con- 
stantly hears  who  will  stand  in  the  light  and 
let  it  shine  on  him. 

There  were  in  his  Green-street  home,  parlor, 
sitting-room,  dining-room,  and  kitchen,  down-stairs, 
and  corresponding  rooms  up-stairs.  There  was 
quite  a  large  side-yard,  with  numerous  trees,  and 
garden  in  the  rear.  The  barn  and  rear  part  of 
the  house  were  connected  by  a  long  wood-house, 
as  is  the  custom  in  New  England.  It  was  an 


HOME    LIFE    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  371 

ample  and  respectable  place  for  a  young  editor 
and  politician  to  reside,  and  while  it  was  up  on 
the  hill  or  low  bluff  from  Water  Street,  down 
near  the  Kennebec  River,  where  the  business  por- 
tion of  the  city  was,  and  his  office  was  located, 
still  it  was  quite  convenient  for  him. 

His  old  office  was  burned  in  the  big  fire  of 
1865,  which  destroyed  the  business  portion  of  the 
city,  but  the  desk  was  saved  at  which  he  did 
much  of  his  writing  when  in  charge  of  the  office 
of  the  Journal  during  the  presidential  campaign 
of  1860. 

During  this  campaign  there  was  so  much  to 
excite  him,  so  much  news  to  read,  so  many 
speeches  to  make,  so  many  ways  to  go,  and 
such  a  general  monopoly  of  time  and  attention, 
that  very  early  in  the  morning  they  would  get 
out  of  "copy."  The  foreman  would  say, — and 
he  was  a  very  kind-hearted  man,  and  loved  Mr. 
Elaine,  — 

"I  don't  see  any  way  for  you  to  do,  Dan, 
but  to  go  up  to  Mr.  Elaine's,  and  wake  him  up, 
and  tell  him  we  must  have  some  more  copy." 

Up  he  would  go  to  the  Green-street  home, 
and  rouse  him  up.  Mr.  Elaine  would  come  down 
in  his  study-gown  and  slippers  and  say,  — 

"  What,    that    copy   given   out  ? " 

"Yes,  sir,  and  we  will  have  to  have  more 
right  away  ! " 


372  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

"Well,  what  did  he  do,  sit  right  down  and 
dash  it  off  for  you  ? " 

"Yes,  sometimes,  and  sometimes  he  would  take 
the  scissors." 

This    was    said    with    a   mild,    significant    smile. 

Mr.  Elaine  could  write  anywhere,  and  did 
much  of  it  out  in  the  dining-room  on  the  sup- 
per-table, with  his  family  all  about  him.  He 
would  become  oblivious  of  all  surroundings,  and 
with  his  power  of  penetration  and  concentration, 
adapt  himself  to  his  work,  utterly  lost  to  cir- 
cumstances. 

He  had  no  mercy  on  meanness.  It  roused  his 
whole  nature.  He  would  walk  the  floor  at  home, 
plan  his  articles,  think  out  his  sentences,  and 
send  everything  to  the  printer  just  as  he  had 
written  it  first, — but  when  he  came  to  correct 
the  proof  he  would  erase  and  interline  until  the 
article  had  passed  almost  beyond  the  power  of 
recognition.  His  finishing  touches  were  a  new 
creation. 

Of  course  the  poor  printers  never  said  any- 
thing either  solemn  or  wise  at  such  times, 
especially  when  driven  to  the  final  point  of 
desperation.  But  they  could  not  get  mad 
at  him,  and  there  was  no  use  trying.  Dan 
said,  — 

"He  would  just  as  soon  shake  hands  with  a 
man  dressed  up  as  I  am  now,  with  this  old  suit 


HOME   LIFE    OF   MR.    ELAINE.  373 

of   overalls   on,    and   sit   down   and   talk  with  him 
as   with   the   richest   man    in   town." 

"The  men  knew  this,  and  saw  and  felt  his 
power.  He  looked  at  the  man,  and  not  at  the 
clothes  ? " 

"Yes,    that   is   just    it." 

Mr.  Blaine's  business  and  home-life  are  so 
blended,  it  is  impossible  to  separate  them.  He 
never  left  his  business  at  the  office.  It  was  all 
hours  and  every  hour  with  him,  except  upon  the 
Sabbath. 

He  took  some  time  to  look  after  the  educa- 
tion of  his  children,  something  as  his  father  and 
grandfather  had  dealt  with  him.  But  Mrs.  Elaine, 
having  been  a  teacher,  took  this  responsibility 
upon  herself.  They  all  attended  the  public 
schools  of  the  city,  and  were  early  sent  away  to 
academy,  college,  and  seminary.  The  home  al- 
ways had  an  air  of  intelligence.  Busy  scenes 
with  books  were  common,  day  and  night.  Mate- 
rials for  writing,  papers,  magazines,  and  books  for 
general  reading,  and  for  review,  seemed  omni- 
present. There  is  order  and  system  amid  all  the 
seeming  confusion. 

Mrs.  Blaine's  hand  and  touch  are  felt  and  seen 
everywhere.  She  is  a  large,  magnificent  woman, 
a  born  queen,  as  fit  to  rule  America  as  Queen 
Victoria  to  rule  England.  She  has  a  quiet,  com- 
manding air,  with  nothing  assumed  or  affected 


374  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

about  her.  A  gentle,  wholesome  dignity  makes 
her  a  stranger  to  storms,  and  her  clear,  strong 
mind  makes  her  ready  and  at  home  in  society. 
She  is  not  a  great  talker,  and  encourages  it  in 
others  by  listening  only  when  it  is  sensible.  She 
is  too  wise  and  womanly  to  ever  gush,  and  never 
encourages  talk  about  her  husband.  There  is 
nothing  patronizing  about  her. 

The  fact  is,  the  presidency,  since  the  death 
of  Mr.  Garfield,  and  the  terrible  ordeal  through 
which  they  then  passed,  has  been  very  serious 
business  to  them.  They  have  not  labored  for  it. 
It  has  been  thrust  upon  them,  —  for  they  are 
one  in  every  sympathy  and  every  joy. 

About  a  year  ago,  while  calling  upon  his 
old  friend,  Ex-Gov.  Anson  P.  Morrill,  Mr.  Mor- 
rill  said, — 

"Are  you  going  to  try  for  the  presidency 
again,  Blaine  ?  Come,  now,  tell  me,  right  out. 
I  want  to  know." 

"No,  sir,"  was  the  reply.  "I  do  not  want  it. 
If  you  could  offer  it  to  me  to-night,  I  would 
not  accept  it.  I  am  devoted  to  my  book  at 
present,  and  love  it,  and  do  not  wish  to  be  di- 
verted from  it." 

Mr.  Morrill  went  on  to  say,  that  "eight  years 
ago,  when  they  tried  to  nominate  him  at  Cin- 
cinnati, I  was  opposed  to  it,  and  told  my  neigh- 
bor, Mr.  Stevens,  I  would  not  vote  for  him.  I 


HOME   LIFE    OF  AIR.    BLAINE.  375 

thought  he  was  too  young,  and  had  not  grown 
enough." 

"  Well,    how   is   it   now  ? " 

"  O,  he  is  all  right  now,  well  developed,  solid, 
and  strong.  The  nation  can't  do  better  than  put 
him  right  in.  He  will  make  a  master  president, 
and  give  the  country  an  administration  they  will 
be  proud  of." 

This  shows  the  honor  and  honesty  of  the  old 
governor,  and  that  he  loved  the  nation  above 
his  friend.  The  happy,  blessed,  prosperous  years 
of  home-life  ended  on  Green  Street,  when  Mr. 
Blame  was  advanced  to  the  third  office  in  the 
nation,  as  speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives in  congress,  —  and  they  removed  to  the 
larger  home,  with  ampler  grounds,  on  State 
Street,  next  to  the  capitol.  Here  they  have 
since  resided,  except  when  living  in  Washington. 
Mr.  Elaine  loves  home,  and  has  his  family  with 
him. 

There  is  nothing  extravagant  about  the  home 
on  State  Street,  either  in  the  house  or  its  fur- 
nishing. It  is  plain,  simple,  and  comfortable. 
The  sitting-room  and  dining-room  upon  the  right 
of  the  main  hall,  and  the  two  parlors  on  the 
left  are  thrown  into  one,  making  two  large 
rooms,  which  have  always  been  serviceable  for 
entertaining  company,  but  never  more  so  than 
since  his  nomination  for  the  presidency.  The 


3/6  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

hallway  extends  into  a  large,  new  house,  more 
modern  in  appearance  than  the  house  proper, 
erected  by  Mr.  Elaine  for  his  library,  gymna- 
sium, etc.  Mr.  Blaine  is  careful  about  his  ex- 
ercise, and  practises  with  dumb-bells,  takes  walks, 
rides,  etc. 

He  has  a  large  barn  for  horses,  and  generally 
keeps  a  number  of  them.  The  house  is  of  Co- 
rinthian architecture,  without  a  trace  of  Gothic. 
Corinthian  columns,  two  on  each  side,  indicate 
the  old  division  of  the  large  room  on  the  left 
of  the  hallway  into  the  front  and  back  parlor, 
but  all  trace  of  doors  is  removed,  and  they  are 
practically  one.  A  large  bay-window,  almost  a 
conservatory,  built  square,  in  keeping  with  the 
house,  looks  out  upon  the  lawn. 

It  is,  all  in  all,  a  very  convenient,  home-like 
place,  with  nothing  pretentious  or  to  terrify  the 
most  plebeian  who  would  care  to  enter,  and  they 
have  been  there  by  the  score  and  hundred.  Not 
less  than  a  thousand  friends,  neighbors,  and  vis- 
itors were  cordially  invited  to  come  in  and  shake 
hands  with  General  Logan,  when  he  visited  Mr. 
Blaine  soon  after  the  convention  that  nominated 
them,  and  received  a  quiet  serenade,  declining 
any  public  reception. 

A  bright,  important  feature  of  Mr.  Elaine's 
home  is  his  cousin,  -"Gail  Hamilton,"  —  Miss 
Abigail  Dodge,  —  the  gifted  authoress.  She  is 


HOME    LIFE    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  3/7 

an  intellectual  companion,  and  an  important  fac- 
tor in  the  social  and  home  life  of  the  family, 
deeply  interested,  but  with  native  good  grace, 
in  all  that  pertains  to  the  honor  and  welfare  of 
her  distinguished  relatives.  Books,  music,  bric-a- 
brac,  abound  in  their  present  home. 

They  do  not  "fare  sumptuously  every  day," 
though  feasts  of  course  there  are,  but  continue 
in  their  simple,  democratic  ways.  Eating  is  not 
a  chief  business  in  that  home.  The  children 
are  very  intelligent,  and  minds,  rather  than 
stomachs,  have  premiums  on  them.  When 
Walker  was  a  little  fellow,  long  before  he  could 
read,  less  than  two  years  old,  he  could  turn  to 
any  picture  in  a  large  book  ;  he  knew  them  all. 
But  none  of  them  have  surpassed,  or  equalled, 
their  father's  work  at  books,  —  going  through 
those  great  lives  of  Plutarch  by  the  time  he 
was  nine  years  old, — and  this  we  hear  from  Mrs. 
Blaine  herself.  Only  the  three  younger  are  at 
home,  —  Margaret,  James  Gillespie,  Jr.j  and  Hat- 
tie,  who,  although  she  is  the  baby,  wears 
glasses.  She  is  a  wide-awake  and  pleasant 
child,  and  finds  so  much  of  life  as  is  now  a 
daily  experience,  a  burden  rather  than  a  delight. 
James  has  many  of  his  father's  characteristics, 
it  is  said.  He  is  a  tall,  nobl£,  manly  fellow, 
and,  though  still  in  his  teens,  has  been  tutor- 
ing in  Washington  the  past  winter.  Margaret, 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


older  than  Hattie  or  James,  has  achieved  a 
national  reputation  by  a  dexterous  use  of  the 
telephone  at  the  time  of  her  father's  nomination. 
She  was  the  first  to  receive  the  intelligence. 
She  has  mature,  womanly  ways,  and  is  very 
like  her  mother,  though  the  children  all 
resemble  their  father,  —  have  his  strong,  marked 
features,  —  unless  it  may  be  Emmons  or  Alice. 

Alice  was  the  oldest  daughter,  and  would 
accompany,  with  perhaps  other  members  of  the 
family,  Mrs.  Elaine  herself,  at  times,  back  in 
the  editorial  days,  upon  the  press-excursions. 
Upon  those  occasions  Mr.  Elaine  was  in  his 
glory,  full  of  facts,  full  of  life,  and  full  of 
stories.  There  was  none  of  the  wag  or  loafer 
about  him  ;  he  was  never  idle  or  obsequious  ; 
but  he  knew  all  about  the  bright  side  of 
things,  and  never  failed  to  find  it.  His  own 
life  seemed  to  light  up  all  around  him.  The 
ludicrous  side  was  as  funny  as  the  mean  was 
despicable.  He  was  very  popular  among  the 
journalists  of  the  state.  He  was  an  honor  to 
the  craft,  and  they  felt  it,  and  easily  recognized 
him  as  a  royal  good  fellow,  —  a  sort  of  leader  or 
representative  man:  He  was  called  out  when 
toasts  were  to  be  responded  to  or  speeches  to 
be  made,  and  was  the  captivating  man  on  all 
occasions.  The  crowd  gathered  about  him.  He 
never  would  tell  a  story  but  that  any  lady 


HOME    LIFE    OF   MR.    BLAINE.  379 

might  listen  to  it  without  a  blush.  They  were 
well  selected,  and  always  first-class,  and  told  in 
the  shortest,  sharpest  manner  possible.  He 
would  never  spin  a  long  yarn.  It  must  be 
quickly  told,  and  to  the  point,  and  have  a 
special  fitness  for  the  occasion. 

A  story  that  he  enjoyed  hugely,  and  could 
tell  with  a  gusto  inimitable,  was  of  a  country- 
man elected  to  the  legislature,  and  for  the 
first  time  stopping  at  a  large  hotel.  The  waiters 
were  busy,  and  while  he  awaited  his  turn  he 
observed  a  dish  of  red  peppers  in  front ;  taking 
one  of  them  on  his  fork,  he  put  it  in  his 
mouth,  and  began  the  work  of  mastication.  All 
eyes  were  turned  on  him.  The  process  was  a 
brief  one,  and  he  very  soon  raised  his  fair- 
sized  hand,  and,  taking  that  pepper  from  his 
mouth,  laid  it  beside  his  plate,  and  said,  as  he 
drew  in  a  long  breath  to  cool  off  his  blistered 
tongue,  "  You  lie  thar  until  you  cool ! "  This 
was  only  matched  by  one  regarding  a  man 
from  the  interior,  at  a  hotel-table  in  St.  Louis, 
who,  observing  a  glass  of  iced  milk  on  the 
outer  circle  of  dishes  that  surrounded  the  plate 
of  a  gentleman  opposite  to  him,  reached  for  it 
and  swallowed  it  down.  The  gentleman  watched 
him  closely,  and,  with  some  expression  of  aston- 
ishment, said  simply,  — 

"That's  cool!" 


riNE    TO    POTOMAC. 


"Ya-as,"  the  fellow  blustered  out,  "of  course 
it  is  ;  thar  's  ice  in  it  !  " 

Few  toasts  touch  the  heart  of  Mr.  Elaine 
more  deeply  than  the  great  toast  of  the  family 
and  of  friendship,  and  one  to  which  he  could 
respond  with  the  happiest  grace  and  the  liveli- 
est good  cheer,  "  Here  's  to  those  we  love,  and 
those  who  love  us  !  God  bless  them  !  " 

Mr.  Elaine  drinks  no  liquors,  not  even  the 
lightest  kinds  of  wine,  I  am  credibly  informed 
by  one  who  was  with  him  on  those  occasions, 
and  frequently  at  his  table. 

Mrs.  Elaine,  like  her  husband,  is  a  great 
reader,  and  while  a  devoted  mother  and  faithful 
wife,  never  neglecting  her  home,  husband,  or 
her  children,  has  kept  herself  well  informed,  and 
is  intelligent  and  attractive  in  conversation. 

Old  friends  say,  "I  do  love  to  hear  Mrs. 
Elaine  talk  ;  she  has  a  fine  mind,  is  so  well 
educated,  and  so  well  informed." 

An  old  school-mate  testifies  that  she  was  a 
fine  scholar  when  at  the  academy  over  the  river 
from  her  present  home,  and  that  she  also  stud- 
ied and  finished  her  education  at  Ipswich. 

She  has  trained  her  children  with  a  skill  that 
few  mothers  could  command.  Her  children  are 
her  jewels,  and  are  loved  with  a  mother's  affec- 
tion. They  are  as  stars,  while  her  husband  is  as 
the  great  sun  shining  in  the  heaven  of  her  joys. 


HOME    LIFE    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  38 1 

The  present  Augusta  home  has  been,  for  years, 
little  more  than  a  summer-resort,  to  which  they 
have  come  the  first  of  June.  Their  great  home 
has  been  in  Washington.  This,  for  twenty  years, 
has  been  life's  centre  to  them.  Here  home-life 
has  reached  its  zenith ;  its  glories  have  shone  the 
brightest ;  it  has  been  at  the  nation's  capital,  and 
husband  and  father  among  the  first  men  of  the 
nation.  Wealth  has  been  at  their  command,  to 
make  that  home  all  they  desired.  They  could 
fill  it  with  the  realizations  of  their  choicest 
ideals,  and  friends,  almost  worshipers,  have  come 
and  gone  with  the  days  and  hours,  from  all 
parts  of  the  nation.  They  have  lived  in  the 
nation's  life.  They  have  been  in  the  onward 
drift  and  trend  of  things,  ever  on  the  foremost 
wave,  caught  in  the  onward  rush  of  events. 
Life  has  been  of  the  intensest  kind,  rich  in  all 
that  enriches,  noble  in  all  that  ennobles.  They 
have  occupied  a  large  place  in  the  nation,  and 
the  nation  has  occupied  a  large  place  in  them ; 
and  yet,  though  at  the  very  farthest  remove  from 
the  quiet,  simple  life  of  the  cottage  or  the  farm, 
it  has  been  an  American  home ;  it  could  be  no 
other  with  such  a  united  head,  and  retains  much 
of  the  old  simplicity.  The  habits  of  early  life 
are  still  on  them,  and  in  nothing  are  they  es- 
tranged from  the  people. 

It   has   been   an    experience  with  them  so   long, 


PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 


and  came  on  so  early  in  its  beginnings,  and 
gradually,  that  they  have  become  accustomed  to 
honor  and  distinction. 

Another  home  is  likely  to  be  theirs  in  Wash- 
ington, the  crown  of  all  the  others.  But  in  it 
they  will  be  the  same  they  are  now;  just  as 
glad  to  see  their  friends,  as  homelike  as  them- 
selves, as  genuine  and  true.  Their  heads  cannot 
be  turned  if  they  have  not  been,  and  home  in 
the  White  House  will  be,  if  in  reserve  for  them, 
the  same  dear,  restful,  cheerful  spot,  for  the 
loved  ones  will  be  there,  and  that  makes  home, 
not  walls,  and  floor,  and  furniture. 

Photographs  of  the  family  abound  at  Mr. 
Blaine's,  all  except  the  picture  of  Mrs.  Blaine,  — 
she  has  not  had  it  taken.  "They  are  not  true," 
she  says,  and  she  brought  a  half-dozen  of  her 
husband,  and  only  one  seemed  good,  and  she 
admitted  it.  The  others  showed,  I  thought,  how 
terrific  has  been  the  conflict  of  life  with  him. 
They  show  him  when  haggard  and  worn,  and 
perhaps  prove,  by  her  judgment  on  them,  how 
consummate  is  her  ideal  of  the  man  of  her  heart. 
Mr.  Blaine  loves  the  open  air.  The  hammock, 
seen  in  the  back-ground  of  the  picture  of  his 
house,  is  soothing  and  restful  to  him,  and  to  a  man 
of  such  incessant  activity  rest  is  very  welcome. 
He  was  out  in  the  hammock,  as  shown  in  the 
picture  of  his  home,  with  his  family  and  some 


HOME   LIFE    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  383 

of  his  nearest  neighbors  about  him,  when  the 
balloting  was  going  on  in  Chicago.  The  third  bal- 
lot had  just  been  taken  when  his  neighbor,  Mr. 
Hevvins,  came  on  the  grounds. 

"Well,  Charley,"  he  said,  "you  don't  see  any 
body  badly  excited  about  here,  do  you  ? " 

"Mr.  Elaine,"  he  said,  "was  the  coolest  one 
of  the  company." 

These  lawn-scenes  are  a  part  of  the  home- 
life,  a  very  large  and  pleasant  part  ;  for  there 
are  no  pleasanter  grounds  in  Augusta  than 
those  surrounding  Mr.  Elaine's  modest  mansion. 


XIX. 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   MR.    ELAINE. 


N  conversation  with  a  leading  business 
man  in  Maine,  the  question  was  asked, 
"What  are  the  chief  characteristics  of 
Mr.  Elaine  ? "  The  man  was  well  sit- 
uated to  know,  and  well  fitted  to  comprehend, 
although  he  was  not  the  man  to  analyze  char- 
acter, except  in  a  general  way,  and  largely  from 
a  business  point  of  view.  His  answer  was, — 

"  His  immense  industry ;  his  great  enlighten- 
ment, and  he  has  always  been  a  growing  man  ! 
He  has  such  great  force  of  character,  and  such 
large  intellectual  power,  and  then  he  is  such  a 
social  man.  He  knows  so  much,  and  is  so  inter- 
esting in  conversation.  He  will  talk  to  a  peas- 
ant so  that  he  will  take  it  all  in,  and  a  prince 
sitting  by  will  enjoy  it." 

Captain  Lincoln  and  his  wife,  New  England 
people,  but  from  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where 
he  had  been  for  some  five  years  in  charge  of  a 
vessel,  called  to  see  him  about  the  middle  of 
June,  to  pa)'  their  congratulations ;  and  it  was 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  385 

pleasant  to  observe,  how,  without  a  trace  of  aris- 
tocracy, but  with  a  genuine  manliness,  he  sat  down 
just  like  a  brother,  and  talked  with  them  of  their 
interests,  the  Island  and  ocean  affairs,  and  ob- 
served, "They  don't  have  any  more  roast  mis- 
sionary out  there  now " ;  but  this  was  slipped 
into  a  sentence  that  almost  gave  a  history  of 
the  Islands.  And  as  he  discussed  ocean  prob- 
lems, routes  to  Mexico,  and  different  parts  of 
America,  North  and  South,  the  captain's  eyes 
opened  with  admiration.  And  it  was  not  a  dis- 
play of  knowledge,  but  brought  out  in  questions, 
as  to  what  do  you  think  of  such  a  project,  and 
in  stating  a  few  brief  reasons  for  it,  the  man's 
information  not  only  cropped  out,  but  burst 
forth.  He  seems  so  full  of  it,  that  when  it  can 
find  a  vent  it  comes  forth  in  deluge  fashion, 
much  as  water  does  from  a  fire-plug. 

Mr.  Blaine  never  could  be  a  specialist,  but 
must  be  world-wide  in  his  knowledge,  as  he  is 
in  his  sympathies.  Some  men  are  like  ponds  in 
which  trout  are  raised, — small  and  narrow,  serve 
a  single  purpose,  and  serve  it  well ;  but  he  is 
more  like  the  ocean,  —  broad,  and  grand,  and 
manifold  in  the  purposes  he  serves,  and  deep  as 
well.  Mr.  Blaine  is  not  a  shallow  man.  His 
has  not  been  the  skimming  surface-life  of  the 
swallow,  but  rather  the  deep-delving  life  of  real- 
ity and  substance.  Deep-sea  soundings,  both  of 


TO   POTOMAC. 


men   and   things,  have  been   a   peculiar   delight  to 
him. 

Curiosity  has  ever  been  a  secret  spring  in  him. 
He  must  know  all,  and  he  would  hunt,  and  rum- 
mage, and  delve,  and  search,  until  he  did.  He  has 
the  scent  of  a  greyhound  for  evidence,  however 
abstract,  and  he  would  track  it  down  somehow, 
"with  all  the  precision  of  the  most  deadly 
science,"  as  he  did  the  telegram  which  Proctor 
Knott  suppressed.  This  inborn  faculty,  which  he 
has  developed  to  a  marvelous  degree,  has  been  a 
mighty  weapon  of  defence  to  him,  when  combina- 
tions and  conspiracies  have  been  formed  against 
him,  and  of  the  most  cruel  character,  for  his 
destruction.  For,  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that 
he  has  lived  through  that  era  of  American  life 
when  the  great  effort  was  to  kill  off,  politically, 
the  great  men  of  the  Republican  party.  A  rebel 
congress  of  Southern  brigadiers  did  their  worst, 
but  the  nation  applauded  as  he  triumphed. 

The  same  knowledge  seems  greater  power  in 
him  than  in  ordinary  men,  or  than  in  almost 
any  other  man,  because  of  his  great  intellectual 
force.  Just  as  a  dinner  amounts  to  more  in  some 
men,  because  of  greater  power  of  digestion,  —  just 
as  the  smooth  stone  from  the  brook  when  in 
David's  sling  went  with  greater  precision  and 
power,  penetrating  the  forehead  of  Goliath.  It  is 
the  man  and  in  his  combinations,  manner,  methods, 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF  MR.    ELAINE.  387 

and  the  time,  and  yet  all  of  these  have  little 
to  do  with  it.  Force  and  directness  seem  to  ex- 
press it  all.  Conventionalities  are  merely  conven- 
iences to  Mr.  Elaine,  and  when  not  such  are 
instantly  discarded.  Common  sense  is  the  pilot 
of  his  every  voyage.  Everything  is  sacrificed  to 
this.  This,  and  this  alone,  has  been  the  crowned 
king  of  his  entire  career,  and  all  else  merely 
subjects. 

What  he  has  seen  in  the  clear,  strong  light 
of  his  own  best  judgment,  enlightened  by  a  vast 
and  varied  knowledge,  he  has  seized  and  sworn 
to.  He  has  never  plundered  others  of  their  cast- 
iron  rules ;  he  had  no  use  for  them.  Saul's  ar- 
mor never  fitted  him.  He  has  delighted  in  the 
fathers'  reverences  and  laws,  though  but  seldom 
quotes  them.  He  has  no  time  or  taste  for  such 
easy,  common  methods.  He  is  too  original.  And 
this  is  one  of  the  strongest  features  of  the  man. 
He  is  not  simply  unlike  any  other  man,  but  has 
no  need  of  resemblance.  He  has  much  of  the 
impetuosity  and  fiery  eloquence  of  Clay,  but 
then  he  has  more  of  the  solid  grandeur  of 
Webster.  But  then  he  is  too  much  like  himself 
to  be  compared  intelligibly  with  others. 

There  are  great  extremes  in  his  nature, — not 
necessarily  contradictions,  yet  opposites.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  fervid  men,  and  yet  one  of  the 
most  stoical  at  times,  perfectly  cool  when  others 


388  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

are  hot  and  boiling.  He  never  loses  his  head. 
There  is  never  a  runaway,  —  but  great  coolness 
and  self-possession  when  it  is  needed,  and  ability 
to  turn  on  a  full  head  of  steam,  when  the  occa- 
sion requires.  Here  is  the  testimony  of  a  scholar 
and  author :  — 

"  One  element  in  his  nature  impressed  itself 
upon  my  mind  in  a  very  emphatic  manner,  and 
that  is  his  coolness  and  self-possession  at  the 
most  exciting  periods.  I  happened  to  be  in  his 
library  in  Washington  when  the  balloting  was 
going  on  in  Cincinnati  on  that  hot  day  in  June, 
1876.  A  telegraph-instrument  was  on  his  library 
table,  and  Mr.  Sherman,  his  private  secretary,  a 
deft  operator,  was  manipulating  its  key.  Dis- 
patches came  from  dozens  of  friends,  giving  the 
last  votes,  which  only  lacked  a  few  of  the  nom- 
ination ;  and  everybody  predicted  the  success  of 
Mr.  I31aine  on  the  next  ballot.  Only  four  per- 
sons besides  Mr.  Sherman  were  in  the  room.  It 
was  a  moment  of  great  excitement.  The  next 
vote  was  quietly  ticked  over  the  wire,  and  then 
the  next  announced  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Hayes. 
Mr.  Elaine  was  the  only  cool  person  in  the  apart- 
ment. It  was  such  a  reversal  of  all  anticipations 
and  assurances,  that  self-possession  was  out  of  the 
question  except  with  Mr.  Elaine. 

"He  had  just  left  his  bed  after  two  days  of 
unconsciousness  from  sunstroke,  but  he  was  as 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF  MR.    ELAINE.  389 

self-possessed  as  the  portraits  upon  the  walls. 
He  merely  gave  a  murmur  of  surprise,  and,  be- 
fore anybody  had  recovered  from  the  shock,  he 
had  written,  in  his  firm,  plain,  fluent  hand,  three 
dispatches,  now  in  my  possession :  one  to  Mr. 
Hayes,  of  congratulation  ;  one  to  the  Maine  del- 
egates, thanking  them  for  their  devotion ;  and 
another  to  Eugene  Hale  and  Mr.  Frye,  asking 
them  to  go  personally  to  Columbus  and  present 
his  good-will  to  Mr.  Hayes,  with  promises  of 
hearty  aid  in  the  campaign.  The  occasion  af- 
fected him  no  more  than  the  news  of  a  servant 
quitting  his  employ  would  have  done.  Half  an 
hour  afterward  he  was  out  with  Secretary  Fish 
in  an  open  carriage,  receiving  the  cheers  of 
the  thousands  of  people  who  were  gathered  about 
the  telegraph-bulletins." 

This  power  of  self-control  seems  to  be  supreme. 
It  is  just  the  particular  in  which  so  many  of 
our  great  men,  and  small  ones  too,  have  miser- 
ably failed.  This  enables  him  to  harness  all  his 
powers  and  hold  well  the  reins,  —  to  bring  all  his 
forces  into  action  when  emergency  requires,  and 
send  solid  shot,  shrapnel,  or  shell,  with  a  cool 
head  and  determined  hand. 

Mr.  Elaine  has  a  great  memory.  Nearly 
all  who  know  him  will  speak  of  this.  He 
seems  never  to  forget  faces,  facts,  or  figures. 

Thirty  years   after   he   attended   school   in   Lan- 


39°  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

caster,  Ohio,  he  went  there  to  speak.  It  was, 
of  course,  known  that  he  was  coming,  and  an 
old  acquaintance  of  the  town,  whom  he  had  not 
seen  all  these  years,  said,  "Now  I  am  going 
to  station  myself  up  there  by  the  cars,  and  see 
if  he  will  know  me.  They  say  he  has  such  a 
wonderful  memory."  Several  were  looking  on, 
watching  the  operation.  Mr.  Elaine  had  no 
sooner  stepped  off  from  the  train  than  he  spied 
him,  and  sang  out  at  once,  "Hello,  John,  how 
are  you ! "  and  a  murmur  of  surprise  went  up 
from  those  who  were  in  the  secret. 

At  another  time  he  was  near  Wheeling,  —  my 
informant  thought  it  was  across  the  river  from 
Wheeling,  —  in  Belmont  County ;  he  met  a  man 
and  called  him  by  name.  The  man  said,  "Well, 
I  don't  know  you."  Mr.  Elaine  told  him  just 
where  he  met  him,  at  a  convention,  and  then 
the  man  could  not  remember.  That  night  he 
told  some  of  his  friends  about  it,  and  they  said 
it  was  a  fact ;  they  were  with  him,  and  saw 
him  introduced  to  Mr.  Elaine  and  talk  with 
him,  and  not  till  then  did  the  man  remember 
him. 

As  General  Conner,  ex-governor  of  Maine, 
who  appointed  Mr.  Elaine  to  the  United  States 
senate,  said :  "  He  could  do  a  thing  now  as  well 
as  any  other  time." 

"Governor     Conner     was     in    Washington,"    he 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  391 

went  on  to  relate,  "and  called  upon  Mr.  Blaine 
when  he  was  secretary  of  state,  and  he  said,  in 
his  familiar  way,  'Now  you  talk  with  Mrs. 
Blaine  awhile,'  and  went  into  his  study.  In 
about  an  hour  he  called  him,  and  all  about  his 
table  were  lying  sheets  of  paper  on  which  ho 
had  just  written.  It  was  his  official  document 
on  the  Panama  canal,  and  which  he  read  to  the 
governor.  It  had  been  produced  during  the  past 
hour,  and  appeared  in  print,  with  scarcely  a 
change.  It  came  out  in  a  white  heat,  but  it 
was  all  in  there  ready  to  be  produced  at  any 
time." 

The  General  remarked,  "This  one  characteris- 
tic of  the  man,  and  an  element  of  his  popu- 
larity and  hold  on  others,  is  this  close  confi- 
dence he  exercises  in  his  friends,  of  which  the 
above  is  an  illustration." 

And  this  touches  at  once  another  feature,  and 
that  is  his  ability  to  read  character,  and  so  to 
know  whom  to  trust.  He  goes  right  into  a  man's 
life,  when  he  gets  at  him. 

While  out  riding,  during  the  preparation  of 
his  volume,  with  his  wife,  two  or  three  miles 
from  Augusta,  in  Manchester  township,  he  got 
out  to  walk,  and  finding  a  farmer  in  a  field 
near  by,  he  stopped,  talked  with  him  some  time, 
asked  him  about  his  history,  his  ancestors,  and 
found  out  pretty  much  all  the  man  knew  about 


392  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

himself,  and  could  have  told  whether  it  would 
do  to  leave  his  pocket-book  with  the  man  or 
no.  Such  a  thing  is  a  habit  with  him,  and 
keeps  him  near  the  people,  gives  him  a  look 
into  their  minds,  a  peep  into  their  hearts, 
as  well  as  a  view  of  their  history. 

Character-readers  usually  are  persons  of  strong 
intuitions.  They  see  not  so  much  the  flesh  and 
blood  of  the  individual,  as  the  soul  within.  Just 
giving  one  sharp,  quick,  penetrating  look  at  the 
man  in  the  concrete,  and  the  abstract  question 
is  settled ;  the  man  is  rated ;  his  value  written 
clown.  It  is  not  so  much  a  study  as  a  look, — 
thought  touches  thought,  mind  feels  of  mind.  It 
is  power  to  know  clearly,  quickly,  strongly,  and 
certainly,  with  him.  He  does  not  have  to'  eat  a 
whole  ham  to  find  out  whether  it  is  tainted, 
nor  drink  an  entire  pan  of  milk  to  find  out 
whether  it  is  sweet. 

Mr.  Elaine  is  very  obliging,  and  he  can  usu- 
ally tell  an  opportunity  from  a  chance.  Life  is 
no  lottery  to  him ;  he  keeps  his  feet  on  the 
granite,  and  gives  all  "fortuitous  combination  of 
atoms"  the  slip,  being  too  discriminating  to  in- 
vest. One  day  he  was  in  the  old  Journal  office, 
now  owned  by  Sprague  and  Son, —  a  very  kind  and 
considerate  firm,  who  are  producing  a  sprightly 
daily, — when  a  citizen  entered  who  had  just  been 
appointed  clerk  of  the  Probate  Court,  and  asked 


•      CHARACTERISTICS    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  393 

the  gentleman  to  go  on  his  bond.  Mr.  Elaine 
spoke  up  at  once,  "I  will  do  it,"  and  then  said 
it  reminded  him  of  a  story,  which  he  proceeded 
to  tell:  — 

"Governor  Coney  lived  in  Penobscot,  shire- 
town  of  Penobscot  County,  and  was  judge  of 
the  Probate  Court.  The  sheriff  of  the  County 
had  failed,  and  Mr.  Sewall,  a  citizen,  met  Judge 
Coney  and  said,  'The  sheriff  has  failed,  and 
you  and  I  are  on  his  bond.'  'Well,  that's  good,' 
said  the  judge,  'I  guess  you  can  fix  it  up.'  'O, 
but  my  name  is  on  the  left-hand  side,  as  a 
witness  to  his  signature.'  So  the  unlucky  judge 
was  left  to  contemplate  the  delightful  privilege 
of  paying  what  amounted  to  a  rogue's  bail." 

This  same  clerk  of  the  Probate  Court  of  for- 
mer years,  but  still  a  friend  and  neighbor,  a 
man,  however,  with  an  unhappy  physical  disa- 
bility, came  upon  the  lawn  when  the  large 
committee  to  notify  him  of  his  nomination  were 
gathered  there  to  perform  that  duty,  and  as  the 
man  told  me,  Mr.  Elaine  caught  sight  of  him 
off  some  distance,  and  "  notwithstanding  all  those 
men  were  there,  he  spoke  right  up  in  his  old, 
familiar  way,  'How  are  you,  ?" 

It  shows  his  genuineness  and  simplicity.  There 
is  enough  to  him  without  putting  on  any  airs. 
It  could  not  be  otherwise  than  that  a  nature  so 
highly  wrought  and  intense,  should  be  possessed 


394  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

of  the  powers  of  withering  scorn  and  just  re- 
buke, and  when  the  occasion  required,  could  use 
them.  There  happened  such  an  occasion  in 
1868. 

General  Grant  had  been  invited  to  attend  the 
opening  of  the  European  and  North'  American 
Railway,  at  Vanceboro',  in  the  State  of  Maine.  It 
formed  a  new  connecting-link  with  the  British 
Provinces.  There  was  a  special  train  of  invited 
guests,  and  as  General  Grant  was  then  president, 
and  had  never  been  in  the  state  before,  it  was 
quite  an  honor  to  be  of  the  company.  Mr. 
Elaine  was,  of  course,  of  the  number,  as  were 
the  leading  citizens  without  respect  to  party. 
A  newspaper-correspondent,  without  any  invita- 
tion, got  aboard  the  train,  and  went  with  the 
party,  and  on  his  return  reported  that  President 
Grant  was  drunk.  This  cut  Mr.  Elaine  to  the 
quick,  because  of  its  untruthfulness,  and  as  he 
was  a  Republican  president,  and  politics  usually 
ran  high  in  Maine  during  the  palmy  days,  from 
1 86 1  to  1 88 1,  when  Mr.  Elaine  was  at  the  helm, 
and  also  because  the  president  was  guest  of  the 
state.  Not  long  after,  he  met  the  reporter  in 
the  office  of  Howard  Owen,  a  journalist  of  Au- 
gusta. 

"And  if  you  ever  saw  a  man  scalped,"  —  I 
use  the  exact  language,  —  "and  the  grave-clothes 
put  on  him,  and  he  put  in  his  coffin,  and 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF  MR.    ELAINE.          395 

buried,  and  the  rubbish  of  the  temple  thrown 
on  him  forty  feet  deep,  he  was  the  man.  I 
never  heard  anything  like  it  in  all  my  born 
days:  philippics,  invectives,  satires,  these  com 
mon  things  were  nowhere." 

"Well,    what   did   he   say?" 

"What  didn't  he  say?"  was  the  reply, —  "'You 
were  not  invited,  you  were  simply  tolerated ; 
you  sneaked  aboard,  and  then  came  back  here 
and  lied  about  us,'  etc." 

But  sixteen  years  had  effaced  much,  and  yet 
the  impression  was  vivid,  as  the  man's  very  ex- 
pressive manner  betokened. 

And  a  leading  Washington  correspondent,  con- 
versant with  all  the  sights  at  the  capital,  says, 
"  It  would  look  strange  to  see  him  with  the 
whiskey-drinking  crowd  at  either  bar  in  the  cap- 
itol  building.  He  does  not  visit  them,  and  he 
does  not  drink." 

The  great-heartedness  of  Mr.  Elaine  comes  out 
in  his  book,  "Twenty  Years  in  Congress,"  and 
shows  how  large  are  his  sympathies.  He  de- 
votes over  fifteen  pages  of  that  great  work  to 
an  historical  vindication  of  Brig.  Gen.  Charles  P. 
Stone,  who  was  the  victim  chosen  to  atone  for 
the  Ball's  Bluff  disaster,  in  which  Col.  E.  D. 
Baker,  of  California,  a  most  gallant  officer,  lost 
his  life.  It  is  a  deeply  interesting  portion  of  the 
seventeenth  chapter. 


39^  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

Mr.  Elaine  is  a  great  lover  of  fair  play.  He 
is  too  great  to  cherish  any  feeling  of  resent- 
ment, for  he  is  true-hearted  as  well  as  great- 
hearted. 

In  this  same  chapter  he  presents  Mr.  Roscoe 
Conkling  very  handsomely,  and  does  him  the 
honor  to  quote  more  extensively  from  his  speech 
than  from  Chandler,  Lovejoy,  -Crittenden,  Rich- 
ardson, or  Thad.  Stevens,  although  Conkling  was 
younger  than  any  of  them.  The  Republican 
party  is  like  a  great  family  to  him,  and  he  loves 
and  cares  for  all,  in  the  sense  of  valuing  them 
highly  for  their  principles'  and  works'  sake,  and 
so  studies  the  things  that  make  for  peace, — but 
not  peace  for  peace'  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of 
principle. 

He  asks  no  quarter  for  himself,  but  will  fol- 
low out  the  behests  of  his  great  nature  in  the 
interests  of  others,  and  the  great  cause  through 
which  his  life  has  run,  like  a  thread  of  purest 
gold.  It  is  his  great  friendliness  which  has  ena- 
bled him  to  take  others  into  his  very  life,  and 
live  and  toil  for  them  so  largely.  He  seems 
ever  living  outside  of  self, — going  outside  of  self 
and  entering  into  their  cause  and  condition,  and 
making  their  case  his  own.  He  aims  to  know 
enough  about  those  within  his  reach  so  that  he 
shall  be  interested  in  them,  and  can  think  and 
feel  intelligently  regarding  them.  His  whole  na- 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  397 

ture  acts  in  unison,  just  as  heaven  designed. 
His  mind  must  know,  and  his  heart  must  love, 
and  his  will  must  act,  while  conscience  detects 
and  demands  purity  of  motive. 

This  honor  makes  life  a  joy,  a  melody,  a  de- 
light, and  so  resonant  with  constant  notes  of 
praise.  He  cannot  be  idle;  this  is  against  his 
nature;  and  to  be  vicious  would  give  him  pain. 
He  is  not  mean,  or  low  and  truckling,  but 
large  and  open  as  the  day. 

An  old  Democrat,  who  had  known  him  ever 
since  he  landed  in  Augusta,  said,  when  asked  a 
point-blank  question  about  him  as  a  man,  "  He 
is  a  good  neighbor  and  a  great  citizen,"  and 
this  man  had  had  many  dealings  with  him,  but 
he  could  not  escape  the  impressions  of  his  work. 
No  man,  it  would  seem,  could  stand  a  better 
examination  among  his  neighbors.  If  a  court  of 
inquiry  were  established,  covering  these  points, 
right  where  he  is  best  known,  it  would  not  be 
necessary  for  him  to  challenge  a  juryman,  or  im- 
peach a  witness. 

This  same  old  Democrat  said,  "A  number  of 
years  ago  we  wanted  to  fix  up  the  Baptist 
church,  and  they  asked  me  to  go  and  see  Mr. 
Elaine,  as  they  were  making  a  general  call  upon 
the  public.  It  was  on  the  eve  of  his  departure 
for  California,  but  he  gave  his  check  at  once 
for  a  hundred  dollars,  and  said,  'If  that  is  not 


39**  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

enough  I  will  give  you  more  when  I  return.' " 
He  is  interested  in  all  good  enterprises,  and 
turns  none  empty  away.  As  an  instance  of  the 
humanity  of  the  man,  a  neighbor  related  the 
following  :  — 

"A  laborer  fell  in  a  fit  right  out  there  in  the 
road  near  Mr.  Elaine's  house,  and  his  sympathies 
were  all  roused  for  the  man.  He  helped  him 
what  he  could,  and  as  he  came  out  of  it  right 
away,  Mr.  Blaine  called  to  his  coachman,  and 
said,  '  Fred,  harness  the  horse,  and  take  this 
man  to  Hallo  well,'  which  was  ten  miles  away ; 
and  Mr.  Blaine  helped  the  man  into  his  carriage, 
in  his  kindly  way,  and  so  sent  him  home."  He 
has  time  for  all  these  occasions  to  help  and 
cheer  a  fellow-man. 

And  Mrs.  Blaine  is  just  like  him.  Since  their 
return  from  Washington,  and  since  the  nomination, 
she  was  returning  from  a  ride,  and  when  near  the 
gate,  there  was  a  crowd.  A  circus  was  in  town, 
and  a  girl  had  been  run  over  and  badly  hurt. 
Mrs.  Blaine  did  not  begin  to  scold  and  blame  the 
girl  for  being  out  in  the  crowd,  but  said,  "Take 
her  right  into  my  parlor,"  and  they  did,  when 
she  sent  for  a  doctor,  and  had  every  care  taken 
of  the  child.  She  has  a  mother's  heart,  and  a 
mind  suited  for  the  best  companionships. 

There   has   been   a   reference   elsewhere   to    Mr 
Elaine's     marked     liberality    as     a     distinguishing 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF  MR.    ELAINE. 


characteristic.  He  is  not  a  wealthy  man,  as 
wealth  is  reckoned  to-day,  but  whenever  he  has 
turned  his  great  abilities  to  financial  matters  for 
the  purpose  of  money-getting,  he  has  succeeded, 
showing  most  conclusively  that,  had  he  served 
himself  all  these  years  instead  of  serving  the 
nation,  he  would  be  worth  reputed  millions.  As 
it  is,  he  told  a  friend  who  asked  him,  about  a 
year  ago,  if  reports  were  true  that  he  was 
worth  several  millions,  as  people  were  saying, 
and  his  answer  was,  "  No,  I  am  worth  less 
than  half  a  million." 

His  great  activity  is  very  noticeable,  especially 
in  society.  He  has  been  compared  to  Mr.  Bur- 
lingame  in  his  ability  to  see  and  converse  with 
three  or  four  persons,  while  another  is  seeing 
but  one.  He  moves  rapidly  at  times,  but  with 
great  care,  especially  in  examining  any  document 
or  letter  requiring  his  signature. 

He  will  sign  nothing  unless  it  be  a  common 
letter  prepared  by  his  private  secretary,  without 
reading  every  word.  But  out  among  men  his 
activity  is  quick  and  constant.  He  is  always  in 
motion,  not  in  an  aimless,  nervous  way,  but  in 
a  wide-awake,  fully  alive  manner.  His  battery  is 
ever  charged  with  the  freshest  and  purest  elec- 
tricity. It  would  be  a  thing  incredible  to  find 
him  asleep  in  the  day-time. 

He   had   a   singular   habit   when   editor,    of  fold- 


400  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

ing  up  little  slips  of  paper  and  inserting  them 
between  his  teeth  quickly,  or  tearing  them  off 
from  a  newspaper,  inserting  them,  and  then 
throwing  them  away,  so  that  after  a  few  moments' 
conversation,  he  would  be  surrounded  with  bits  of 
paper  which  he  had  torn  off  and  used  in  this  way. 

Long  walks  have  been  his  habit,  and  at  times 
he  would  strike  off  across  the  fields  and  jump 
the  fences.  "  What,"  I  said  to  my  informant, 
"jump  the  fences?"  "Yes,"  he  said,  and  another 
party  confirmed  it.  To  go  across  lots,  they  say, 
is  "  the  Yankee  of  it." 

This  vigorous  exercise  is  a  part  of  his  pro- 
gramme for  keeping  up  his  health.  He  has  had 
a  cross-bar  also,  for  athletic  sports,  and  made 
use  of  it,  too.  Life  is  never  dull  and  monoto- 
nous with  him,  but  always  full  to  the  brim. 

It  is  this  active,  energetic  spirit  which  took 
him  to  England,  and  for  four  or  five  months 
all  over  the  continent  of  Europe;  and  in  1875 
to  California,  and  up  and  down  the  Pacific  coast; 
and  it  was  this  same  migjity  energy  of  being, 
which  led  him  to  make  five  speeches  a  day 
sometimes  when  he  was  campaigning  in  Ohio. 
He  did  this  one  day,  when  the  last  one  was  to 
an  immense  assemblage  in  Columbus.  And  he 
generally  spoke  until  he  was  quite  satisfied  that 
he  had  the  people  with  him,  and  they  were  cer- 
tain to  vote  about  right  when  the  time  came. 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF  MR.    ELAINE.  4OI 

His  resources  of  strength,  at  times,  seems 
amazing.  Many  who  have  known  him  for  thirty 
years,  speak  of  his  great  energy,  of  his  decision 
of  character,  of  his  power  with  an  audience. 

His  private  secretary,  who  has  been  by  his 
side  for  fifteen  years,  says  that  all  the  time  he 
was  speaker  in  congress,  he  was  never  late  a 
single  moment,  that  just  exactly  at  twelve 
o'clock,  the  usual  time  for  meeting,  his  gavel 
would  fall,  and  the  House  be  called  to  order. 

It  is  a  consciousness  of  responsibility,  and 
conscientiousness  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  great 
readiness  for  the  work,  and  eagerness  to  perform 
it,  that  have  made  him  prompt,  energetic,  accu- 
rate, and  determined. 

He  has  been  among  the  broadest  of  men  in 
his  thinking,  reading,  observation,  experience, 
travel,  sympathy,  purpose,  motive,  and  activities. 
Truly  his  life  has  been  onward  and  upward, 
and  with  these  as  his  principal  characteristics 
he  has  been  tested  as  few  men  are  tested,  and 
not  found  wanting.  In  ten  great  departments, — 
as  student,  teacher,  editor,  stump-speaker,  legis- 
lator, speaker  of  the  House  at  home,  congress- 
man, speaker  of  the  National  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, United  States  senator,  and  secretary 
of  state, — has  he  been  tried,  and  not  found 
wanting.  Only  a  man  of  transcendent  abilities 
could  have  triumphed  in  such  a  career. 


XX. 


NOMINATION   FOR  PRESIDENT. 


R.  ELAINE'S  steady  march  upward 
in  the  line  of  promotion,  was  constant 
and  irresistible,  from  1856  to  1876, 
and  even  that  year  was  crowned  with 
a  seat  in  the  United  States  senate.  But  the 
presidency  seemed  within  his  grasp.  It  was  the 
demand  and  expectation  of  the  people  that  he 
should  have  it.  The  popular  fervor  was  intense. 
He  was  the  ideal  statesman  of  the  multitude. 
But  the  cast-iron  political  machinery,  then  run- 
ning so  deftly  and  with  such  precision  in  sev- 
eral states,  was  manipulated  with  a  craftiness  so 
subtle  as  to  defeat  their  strongly  expressed  and 
urgent  wish.  They  were  ready,  hat  in  hand,  in 
every  state  and  territory  in  the  Union,  to  cheer 
his  nomination,  when  the  intelligence  came  that 
the  "dark  horse,"  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  was  the 
honored  man.  No  one  was  more  loyal  to  him 
than  Mr.  Elaine. 

The    state    machinery    was    run    by    a    Corliss 
engine    in    1880,  —  band,   pulley,    and    cog    united 


\ 
NOMINATION  FOR    PRESIDENT.  403 

the  complicated  and  ingenious  device  into  a 
single  and  powerful  combination  of  great  effec- 
tiveness. The  whirl  of  its  great  wheel,  and  the 
whir  of  the  wheels  within,  were  swift  and  pre- 
cise in  their  momentum.  There  was  no  cessa- 
tion of  control,  no  deviation  in  rate  of  speed 
or  execution.  The  result  was  ever  the  same. 
The  steam-gauge  registered  three  hundred  and 
six,  simply  that  and  nothing  more.  They  would 
"make  or  break,"  and  so  they  broke;  —  Garfield, 
grand,  and  splendid,  and  worthy,  came  to  be 
the  convention's  man.  And  the  people  loved 
him  and  were  loyal  to  him,  —  none  more  so  than 
Mr.  Elaine. 

For  the  third  time  the  people  sent  their 
chosen  men  to  take  for  them  the  great  initiative, 
that  they  might  have  the  long-sought  privilege 
of  endorsing  him  with  their  suffrage.  It  was  a 
great  day  in  Chicago, — that  Tuesday,  the  third 
of  June,  1884,  —  when  the  great  convention  opened 
in  the  massive  exposition  building,  where  four  years 
before  the  stubborn  contest  was  had.  Fresh 
men  were  there.  The  old  machinery  was  worn 
out,  broken,  and  cast  aside,  —  not  a  squeak  of 
it  was  heard.  New  men  were  at  the  helm 
when  Senator  Sabin,  of  Minnesota,  chairman  of 
the  Republican  National  Committee,  called  the 
convention  to  order. 

After  prayer,   and   the    reading   of    the   call   for 


404  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

the  convention,  Senator  Sabin  addressed  the  con- 
vention, welcoming  them  to  Chicago,  as  amongst 
the  most  cherished  spots  in  our  country,  sacred 
to  the  memories  of  a  Republican.  "It  was  the 
birthplace  of  Republican  victories.  Here  the 
fathers  chose  that  immortal  chief  who  first  led 
us  on  to  victory,  —  Abraham  Lincoln;  here  they 
elevated  to  the  first  place  in  the  nation  that 
great  chieftain  of  the  conflict,  —  General  Grant; 
here  they  nominated  that  honored  soldier,  that 
shining  citizen,  that  representative  American,  — 
James  A.  Garfield." 

Hon.  John    R.  Lynch,   of   Mississippi,    a   colored 
gentleman,  well   known   throughout  the    South   for 
his     conspicuous     parliamentary     ability,     for     his 
courage,   and  for   his   character,    was   chosen   tem 
porary   chairman. 

The  following  day,  after  prayer,  memorials  and 
resolutions  were  presented  in  great  profusion, 
which  were  referred  to  committees,  save  one, 
and  that  was,  "that  all  are  bound  to  support 
the  nominee  of  the  convention,"  which,  after  a 
determined  discussion,  pro  and  con.,  was  with- 
drawn. 

Gen.  John  B.  Henderson,  of  St.  Louis,  was 
made  permanent  chairman. 

Thursday,  June  5th,  the  nominations  began. 
When  in  the  call  of  states  Maine  was  reached, 
the  vast  assembly  arose,  and  for  nearly  six  or 


NOMINATION   I  OR   PRESIDENT.  405 

eight  minutes,  twelve  to  fourteen  thousand  peo- 
ple were  shouting  at  the  top  of  their  voices, 
cheer  upon  cheer,  and  could  not  be  restrained. 
Then  Judge  West,  of  Ohio,  in  a  speech  from  the 
people's  heart,  presented,  amid  almost  continuous 
applause,  the  name  of  the  people's  choice, — 
James  G.  Elaine.  The  names  of  Generals  Haw- 
ley  and  John  A.  Logan  had  been  presented. 

When  Hon.  T.  C.  Platt,  of  New  York,  seconded 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  Elaine,  the  applause  broke 
out  anew  at  the  mention  of  the  magic  name, 
more  tumultuous  than  before.  It  was  a  nation 
in  miniature,  sending  forth  the  sovereignty  of 
their  hearts,  not  to  be  baffled  a  third  time,  but 
surely  to  win. 

Governor  Davis  of  Maine,  Goodeloe  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  Galusha  A.  Grow  of  Pennsylvania, 
joined  in  most  exalting  kind  of  commendations, 
in  seconding  the  nomination,  while  flags  were 
waved,  and  every  conceivable  form  of  demonstra- 
tion consistent  with  the  hour,  was  indulged  in. 

Mr.  Townsend  placed  President  Arthur  in 
nomination,  seconded  by  Bingham  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, Lynch  of  Mississippi,  Winston  of  North 
Carolina,  and  Pinchback  of  Louisiana. 

Judge  Foraker,  of  Ohio,  presented  the  name 
of  John  Sherman.  Judge  Holt,  of  Kentucky, 
seconded  Mr.  Sherman's  nomination,  and  Ex- 
Governor  Long,  of  Massachusetts,  seconded  by 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


George  William  Curtis,  of  New  York,  presented 
the  name  of  Senator  Edmunds,  of  Vermont. 

Friday,  June  6th,  after  the  usual  prayer  and 
preliminary  exercises,  the  voting  began.  On  the 
first  ballot  Mr.  Elaine  had  three  hundred  and  thir- 
iy-four  and  one-half;  Arthur,  two  hundred  and 
seventy-eight;  Edmunds,  ninety-three;  Logan,  six- 
ty-three and  one-half  ;  John  Sherman,  thirty ; 
Hawley,  thirteen  ;  Lincoln,  four  ;  and  W.  T. 
Sherman,  two. 

The  second  ballot  resulted  in  three  hundred 
and  forty-nine  for  Elaine ;  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-six for  Arthur ;  eighty-five  for  Edmunds ; 
sixty-one  for  Logan  ;  twenty-eight  for  John  Sher- 
man ;  thirteen  for  Hawley ;  four  for  Lincoln ;  two 
for  W.  T.  Sherman. 

Cheering  followed  the  announcement  of  gains 
for  Elaine.  With  many  incidents  the  third  bal- 
lot was  taken,  increasing  Mr.  Elaine's  ballot 
twenty-six  votes,  to  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
five;  Arthur  went  down  to  two  hundred  and 
seventy-four ;  Edmunds,  sixty-nine ;  John  Sher- 
man, twenty-five ;  Logan,  fifty-three ;  Hawley, 
thirteen ;  Lincoln,  seven ;  and  W.  T.  Sherman, 
one. 

Cheers  again  rent  the  air,  and  confusion  en- 
sued ;  the  inevitable  was  in  sight,  and  motions 
to  adjourn,  and  in  various  ways  to  postpone  the 
result,  were  resorted  to ;  but  Stewart,  of  Elaine's 


NOMINATION   FOR    PRESIDENT.  407 

native  state,  said,  "  We  are  ready  for  the  brunt 
of  battle,  Mr.  Chairman;  let  it  come."  And 
come  it  did,  though  filibustering  abounded  to 
prevent  it. 

In  the  midst  of  the  fourth  and  decisive  bal- 
lot, General  Logan's  despatch  came,  to  cast  his 
strength  for  Elaine. 

Senator  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  of  Illinois,  began 
the  stampede  by  announcing  thirty-four  votes 
from  Illinois  for  Elaine,  seven  for  Logan,  and 
three  for  Arthur. 

Judge  Foraker,  of  Ohio,  followed,  and  with- 
drawing John  Sherman,  cast  forty-six  votes  for 
James  G.  Elaine,  amid  a  tremendous  outburst  of 
applause. 

A  whirlwind  of  vociferous  cheering,  unmanage- 
able an.d  unparalleled,  greeted  the  announcement: 
Elaine  five  hundred  and  forty-one ;  Arthur  still 
had  two  hundred  and  seven ;  Edmunds,  forty- 
one  ;  Hawley,  fifteen ;  Logan,  seven,  and  Lincoln, 
two. 

Eut  Elaine  was  nominated,  after  contesting  for 
eight  years,  in  three  of  the  greatest  conventions 
ever  held,  with  the  principal  men  of  the  nation. 
The  nomination  was  made  unanimous,  in  the 
midst  of  the  wildest  enthusiasm. 

At  the  evening  session,  Senator  Plumb  of 
Kansas,  seconded  by  Judge  Houck  of  Tennes- 
see, Thurston  of  Nebraska,  Lee  of  Pennsylva- 


PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 


nia,  and  Congressman  Horr  of  Michigan,  nomi- 
nated John  A.  Logan  for  vice-president. 

Gen.  J.  S.  Robinson,  in  seconding  the  nomina- 
tion of  General  Logan,  moved  to  suspend  the 
rules  and  nominate  him  by  acclamation,  which 
was  carried. 

Logan's  total  vote  was  seven  hundred  and 
seventy-nine,  the  New  York  delegation  having 
given  six  votes  for  Gresham,  and  one  for  Judge 
Foraker. 

The  voice  of  the  people  had  at  last  been 
heard,  and  the  men  of  their  choice  presented  as 
the  standard-bearers,  and  from  East  to  West 
went  up  a  shout  of  joy,  which  had  in  it  the 
ring  of  a  long-cherished  purpose  to  see  that 
the  "calling  and  election"  of  their  heroes  should 
"be  made  sure"  at  the  polls. 


General  JOHN  A.  LOGAN. 


XXI. 


JOHN    A.    LOGAN. 


was  on  the  Qth  of  February,  1826, 
that  John  A.  Logan  was  born,  at 
Murphysborough,  111.,  a  little  town 
among  the  hills  that  hem  in  the 
Mississippi  River.  He  was  the  eldest  of  eleven 
children. 

His  father  was  a  physician,  and  came  to 
America  from  Ireland  three  ,  years  before,  while 
his  mother,  Elizabeth  Jenkins,  was  from  a  fam- 
ily that  lived  in  Tennessee. 

He  grew  up,  strong  and  powerful  in  youth, 
amid  the  exciting  scenes  of  purely  western  life. 
It  was  a  life  that  appealed  to  courage,  placed 
a  premium  upon  all  of  manly  energy  and  exer- 
tion, and  infused  into  him,  with  every  breath, 
that  best  of  robust  health  which,  like  bank- 
stock  drawing  a  high  rate  of  interest,  has  met 
every  demand  made  upon  it  for  over  half  a 
century. 


PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 


His  advantages  of  education  in  early  youth 
were  of  a  slender  character,  except  as  he 
derived  instruction  from  the  teaching  of  his 
father  and  at  his  mother's  knee;  for  no  regu- 
lar schools  existed  in  the  settlement,  except 
at  a  log  school-house,  where  an  itinerant  teacher 
presided,  under  whose  tuition  only  the  quick- 
est and  aptest  boy  or  girl  would  make  advance- 
ment. 

One  who  knows  him  well  says  that  when  eigh- 
teen years  old  he  was  sent  to  the  nearest 
school,  called  Shiloh  Academy,  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  graduated 
from  it  into  the  Mexican  war.  He  had  breathed 
an  atmosphere  of  war  from  childhood.  In  his 
youth  the  stories  of  the  war  of  1812  and  of 
the  Revolution  were  fresh  in  the  memories  and 
constantly  in  the  mouths  of  those  about  him, 
many  of  whom  had  been  actual  participants. 
The  Seminole  and  Black-Hawk  wars  had  oc- 
curred in  his  youth,  and  personal  acquaintance 
with  many  who  had  participated  in  them  kindled 
in  him  the  glow  and  fervor  of  adventure.  He 
enlisted  in  the  First  Illinois  Regiment,  and  went 
to  Mexico. 

Though  among  the  youngest  of  the  men,  he 
came  at  once  into  prominence  by  his  energy 
and  bearing,  and  the  quick  activity  of  his  mind, 
and  the  great  fearlessness  with  which  he  occu- 


JOHN  A.   LOGAN.  411 

pied   and   held   each   post   of  danger   to  which  he 
was   assigned. 

There  was  about  him  such  an  utter  abandon- 
ment to  the  work  of  battle,  that  his  strong 
marks  of  leadership  were  quickly  recognized, 
and  he  was  made  -  lieutenant,  then  adjutant,  and 
finally  quartermaster,  a  position  of  grave  respon- 
sibility in  the  enemy's  country. 

After  the  war  he  studies  at  college,  and  then 
reads  law  with  his  uncle,  Alexander  M.  Jenkins, 
who  was  a  great  man  in  southern  Illinois.  He 
had  at  one  time  been  lieutenant-governor  of  the 
state,  and  was  a  Jacksonian  Democrat. 

In  1849  Mr.  Logan  was  elected  clerk  of 
Jackson  County,  and  continued  his  study  of  law. 
He  took  a  course  of  law-lectures  at  Louisville, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  commenced 
practice  with  his  uncle,  and  soon  gained  prom- 
inence. But  political  life,  for  one  so  active, 
filled  with  an  unbounded  energy,  had  charms  foi 
him. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  Louisville,  he  was 
elected  prosecuting  attorney  for  Jackson  County, 
in  1852,  and  the  same  year  to  the  legislature, 
and  re-elected  in  1853,  1856,  and  1857.  In  1854 
he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  third 
judiciary  district  of  Illinois,  and  in  1856  was  a 
presidential  elector  on  the  Buchanan  and  Breck- 
enrid<re  ticket. 


412  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

It  was  at  this  time  he  began  his  career  as 
a  stump-speaker,  and  his  speeches  were  regarded 
as  remarkable  examples  of  eloquence,  giving  him 
a  reputation  that  sent  him  to  congress  in  1858. 
He  was  an  earnest  Douglas  man,  and  being  re- 
nominated  in  1860,  he  stumped  the  state  with 
great  success,  and  was  re-elected  by  a  large 
majority.  This  was  a  transition  period.  The 
great  contest  was  coming  on,  and  "the  piping 
times  of  peace "  were  angry  with  the  most 
dread  forebodings. 

At  this  point  we  will  let  one  speak  who 
knows  him  well  :  — 

"Right  here  came  a  critical  period  in  his 
career,  and  although  there  are  men  who  still 
assert  that  his  sympathy  was  with  the  seces- 
sionists, there  is  plenty  of  evidence  that  the 
South  had  no  claim  upon  him, — that  whatever 
his  original  sentiments  may  have  been,  his  pub- 
lic utterances  were  always  loyal,  and  that  when 
the  crisis  came  he  was  on  the  right  side.  The 
country  he  lived  in  was  full  of  Southern  sym- 
pathizers, his  mother's  family  were  secessionists, 
and  his  surroundings  made  loyalty  unpopular. 
The  story  that  he  tendered  his  services  to  Jef- 
ferson Davis  is  contradicted  by  that  gentleman, 
who  says  he  never  heard  of  Logan  until  more 
than  a  year  after  the  war  began. 

"There   are   several   witnesses   to   the   fact   that 


JOHN  A.    LOGAN.  413 

in  November,  1860,  when  Lincoln's  election  was 
assured,  and  threats  were  freely  made  that  he 
should  not  be  inaugurated,  Logan  publicly  de- 
clared that  he  would  shoulder  a  musket  and 
escort  the  'Rail-Splitter'  to  the  White  House. 

"  While  he  was  in  Washington,  attending  the 
called  session  of  congress  in  the  summer  of 
1 86 1,  he  went  to  the  front,  as  many  represen- 
tatives did,  .to  visit  the  army  in  Virginia,  and 
being  the  guest  of  Colonel  Richardson  when  the 
battle  of  Bull  Run  took  place,  he  was  given  a 
musket  and  fought  through  that  eventful  July 
day  as  a  private  in  the  ranks." 

When  congress  adjourned  in  August,  he  went 
home,  resigned  his  seat  in  congress,  raised  the 
Thirty-first  Illinois  Regiment,  was  commissioned 
its  colonel,  and  led  them  into  battle  at  Belmont, 
Missouri,  ten  months  after  they  were  mustered 
into  service.  One  has  well  said,  "  Logan  was  de- 
veloped by  the  war.  The  bugler  of  the  army 
sounded  the  key-note  of  his  character,  and  in  an 
atmosphere  of  dust  and  powder  he  grew  great." 

In  that  first  battle  at  Belmont  he  had  his 
horse  shot  under  him,  while  leading  a  successful 
bayonet-charge.  He  fought  with  General  Grant 
at  Fort  Henry,  and  in  the  siege  and  terrific  con- 
test at  Fort  Donelson  he  bore  a  brave,  conspic- 
uous part,  and  was  wounded  in  the  left  arm. 
He  was  off  duty  for  a  while,  and  refused  a  re- 


4*4  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

election  to  congress,  but  reported  on  March  5th 
to  General  Grant  for  duty  at  Pittsburgh  Landing, 
only  about  a  month  after  the  Fort  Donelson 
engagement,  and  was  at  once  made  a  brigadier- 
general. 

Nashville  had  fallen.  Tennessee  was  largely 
within  the  Union  lines,  and  entrance  was  being 
effected  into  Georgia  and  Mississippi ;  hence  the 
stubborn  resistance  of  the  foe  at  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing. But  victory  brought  them  to  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  Island  No.  10  falling  under  the  guns  of 
Commodore  Foote.  Grant  and  Logan  led  their 
armies  down  to  Vicksburg. 

During  the  winter-campaign  in  Mississippi  and 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Logan's  bravery  was  pro- 
verbial. He  was  given  command  of  a  division  in 
McPherson's  corps,  and  made  a  major-general  in 
the  army,  within  a  year  of  entrance. 

During  the  summer  of  1862  he  was  repeatedly 
urged  to  "run  for  congress,"  but  his  reply  was 
worthy  a  hero  :  "  I  have  entered  the  field  to  die, 
if  need  be,  for  this  Government,  and  never  ex- 
pect to  return  to  peaceful  pursuits  until  the  ob- 
ject of  this  war  of  preservation  has  become  a 
fact  established." 

His  personal  bravery  and  military  skill  were 
so  conspicuous  in  Grant's  Northern  Mississippi 
movements,  where  he  commanded  a  division  of 
the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  under  General  Me- 


JOHN  A.   LOGAN.  41$ 

Pherson,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major- 
general  Nov.  26,  1862.  He  was  present  in  every 
fight,  his  daring  bravery  animating  his  men  at 
Fort  Gibson,  Raymond,  Jackson,  Champion  Hill, 
and  Vicksburg.  He  was  in  command  of  McPher- 
son's  centre,  June  25th,  when  the  assault  upon 
Vicksburg  was  made.  His  column  led  the  en- 
trance into  the  city,  and  he  became  its  first  mil- 
itary governor. 

In  November,  1863,  he  was  called  to  succeed 
General  Sherman  in  command  of  his  famous 
Fifteenth  Army  Corps.  The  following  May  he 
joined  Sherman  as  the  Georgia  campaign  was 
opening.  It  was  Logan  who  led  the  advance  of 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  at  Resaca,  who 
whipped  Hardee's  trained  veterans  at  Dallas,  and 
drove  the  enemy  from  Kenesaw  Mountain. 

On  July  22d  he  was  in  the  fierce  assault  be- 
fore Atlanta.  In  this  desperate  attack  upon 
Hood,  Logan  fought  as  he  never  fought  before, 
and  when  McPherson  fell  he  took  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  with  resistless 
fury  avenged  the  death  of  the  beloved  com- 
mander. 

After  the  fall  of  Atlanta  he  returned  to  Illi- 
nois, temporarily,  to  take  part  in  the  presidential 
campaign.  It  was  our  privilege  to  hear  him  then, 
and  never,  it  would  seem,  did  such  withering 
scorn,  such  utter  denunciation,  such  infinite  con- 


PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 


tempt,  show  themselves,  as  he  manifested  in  a 
great  speech,  full  of  vim  and  fire,  not  for  the 
brave,  honest  rebel  in  arms,  but  for  the  cow- 
ardly copperheads  in  the  rear. 

He  was  less  than  forty  years  of  age,  only 
thirty-eight,  but  his  name  and  fame  as  a  soldier 
were  a  tower  of  strength,  and  he  drew  together 
immense  crowds. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  second  election  he 
returns  to  the  front,  and  joins  Sherman  in  his 
march  to  the  sea,  and  continued  with  him  until 
the  surrender  of  Gen.  Joseph  Johnston,  on  April 
26,  1865.  After  the  surrender  he  marched  his 
men  to  Alexandria,  and  rode  at  their  head  in 
the  grand  review  in  Washington.  He  had  taken 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  Oct. 
23,  1864,  and  tendered  his  resignation  when  ac- 
tive service  was  over,  being  unwilling  to  draw 
pay  unless  on  duty  in  the  field. 

President  Johnson  tendered  him  the  mission  to 
Mexico,  but  he  declined  it,  and  returning  home 
was  elected  successively  to  the  fortieth,  the 
forty-first,  and  the  forty-second  congresses.  He 
was  selected  as  one  of  a  committee  of  seven 
to  represent  the  House  in  the  impeachment  trial 
of  Andrew  Johnson. 

Before  he  had  taken  his  seat  in  the  forty- 
second  congress,  the  legislature  of  Illinois  elected 
him  to  the  United  States  senate  for  the  full 


JOHN  A.   LOGAN.  417 

term  from  March  4,  1871,  to  succeed  the  Hon. 
Richard  Yates,  the  gallant  war-governor  of  that 
state.  He  was  again  chosen  for  the  senate,  and 
took  his  seat  the  second  time  March  18,  1879. 
His  present  term  expires  March  3,  1885.  He 
led  the  delegation  of  his  state  in  the  national 
convention  of  1880,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
determined  of  the  "  three  hundred  and  six "  who 
followed  the  fortunes  of  "the  old  commander," 
General  Grant. 

He  has  been  an  active  man  at  military  reun- 
ions, and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  was  the  first  na- 
tional commander  of  that  organization,  and  as 
such  issued  the  order  in  1868  for  the  decora- 
tion of  the  graves  of  Union  soldiers. 

His  financial  views  have  been  the  subject  of 
criticism,  but  they  have  generally  represented  the 
sentiments  of  his  constituency.  In  1866  he  took 
strong  grounds  in  favor  of  the  payment  of  the 
national  debt  in  gold  coin.  In  1874  he  followed 
the  popular  Western  movement,  and  voted  for 
the  Inflation  bill,  which  President  Grant  vetoed. 
But  in  the  following  year  he  favored  the  Sher- 
man Resumption  act. 

General  Logan  was  always  a  leader  in  secur- 
ing pension  legislation.  He  has  been  radical  in 
favoring  internal  improvements,  has  always  voted 
for  liberal  appropriations  for  rivers  and  harbors, 


41 8  PINE    TO    POTOMAC. 

and  has  given  his  support  to  railroad  land-grant 
measures.  His  property  consists  of  a  residence 
on  Calumet  Avenue  in  Chicago,  which  is  worth 
from  twenty-five  thousand  to  thirty  thousand 
dollars,  and  a  farm  at  his  old  home  in  southern 
Illinois. 

He  resides  in  Washington  at  a  boarding-house 
on  Twelfth  Street,  occupying  two  modest  rooms, 
the  same  in  which  he  has  lived  for  twelve 
years. 

In  1855  he  married  Miss  Mary  Cunningham, 
of  Shawneetown,  111.,  and  she  has  proved  a 
most  valuable  helpmeet,  being  as  good,  if  not  a 
better  politician  than  himself,  and  a  lady  of 
great  refinement  as  well  as  intellectual  force. 
There  is  no  woman  in  public  life  who  possesses 
more  admirable  traits  than  Mrs.  Logan,  and  her 
popularity  with  her  own  sex  is  quite  as  great 
as  with  the  other.  She  can  write  a  speech  on 
finance,  or  dictate  the  action  of  a  political  cau- 
cus, with  as  much  ease  and  grace  as  she  can 
preside  at  a  dinner-party,  or  receive  her  guests. 
At  the  same  time  she  is  a  devoted  mother. 
She  has  two  children, —  a  daughter,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Paymaster  Tucker,  of  the  army,  and  a 
son,  Manning,  a  cadet  at  West  Point.  Both  of 
them  have  been  educated  by  her,  or  under  her 
personal  supervision. 

As  a  society  woman   she    is    graceful    and    ac- 


JOHN  A.    LOGAN.  419 

complished ;  in  charities  she  is  always  active 
and  generous ;  in  religion  she  is  a  devout 
Methodist. 

During  the  campaign  of  1866  General  Logan 
was  running  for  congressman-at-large.  The  multi- 
tudes came  to  hear  him ;  a  grand  stand  was 
erected  in  the  court-house  yard  at  Bloomington ; 
thousands  were  gathered,  filling  the  grounds  and 
covering  the  roofs  of  buildings.  He  was  in  his 
glory ;  for  three  hours  he  spoke ;  the  people 
laughed,  and  cried,  and  shouted  cheer  on  cheer. 
We  had  heard  Douglas,  Lovejoy,  Colfax,  but 
never  such  a  speech  as  that. 

The  rebel  army  was  whipped  and  gone,  and 
now  the  Democratic  party  loomed  up  as  an 
enemy  in  the  land. 

In  telling  why  he  had  left  the  party  and  be- 
come a  staunch  Republican,  his  sarcasm  burned 
like  caustic.  He  told  a  story  in  an  inimitable 
way,  to  illustrate  the  point.  It  was  the  story 
of  the  flock  of  sheep  the  farmer  gave  his 
boys : — 

"Tommy  was  to  divide  the  flock,  and  Johnny 
take  his  choice,  so  Tommy  put  all  the  fine,  large 
ones  by  themselves,  and  all  the  scabby,  scaly, 
shaggy  ones  in  another  yard,  and  with  them 
he  put  Johnny's  little  pet  lamb,  which  he  had 
raised  and  cared  for  all  summer,  feeding  it  with 
fresh,  warm  milk,  and  had  pat  a  little  blue  rib- 


42°  PINE    TO   POTOMAC. 

bon,  with  a  bell  on  it,  about  its  neck ;  and 
Tommy  knew  how  he  loved  it,  and  so  he  put 
it  in  with  the  poor,  old,  scaly  lot  of  sheep. 
When  Johnny  came  to  look  at  the  sheep  he 
looked  for  Nannie,  his  lamb ;  he  heard  its  bell, 
and  saw  it  was  in  bad  company,  with  a  miser- 
able lot  of  bad  sheep,  and  so  he  said,  '  Nannie, 
good-bye ;  I  've  loved  you.  I  tied  that  blue  rib- 
bon about  your  neck,  and  put  that  bell  on  it. 
I  've  fed  you  and  taken  care  of  you  all  this 
time '  (and  this  description  was  given  with  the 
most  dramatic  effect) ;  '  but,  Nannie,  we  must 
part.  Johnny,  I  will  take  this  lot,'  pointing  to 
all  the  best  sheep." 

The  roar  was  tumultuous  when  they  saw  the 
point,  and  it  was  a  terrific  hit  for  the  old  party, 
in  with  the  copperheads  and  rebels. 

It  was  surely  one  of  the  happiest  steps  of 
his  life,  when  he  came  out  on  the  Repub- 
lican side  of  the  Republic's  great  battle  for  the 
liberty  of  the  enslaved  and  the  citizenship  of 
freemen. 

Few  soldiers  are  now  living,  not  excepting  the 
old  commander  himself,  who  in  a  political  cam- 
paign will  make  the  heart  of  the  old  veterans 
beat  faster  and  warmer  at  the  remembrance  of 
former  times,  and  the  achievements  of  battles 
now  enjoyed,  than  Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  United 
States  senator  from  Illinois,  and  Republican  can- 


JOHN  A.  LOGAN. 


421 


didate    for    vice-president,   with  James   G.    Elaine, 
of   Maine,   for  president 

The  old  hearts  thrill  anew,  and  the  old  shout 
rings  out  again,  and  the  victory  of  the  past  must 
at  their  hands  be  perpetuated  in  the  victory  of 
the  future. 


X.  A  **v»..-. 


' 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


^    Af 

:  -   "  -eY 


3  1205026550564 


